February 25, 2020

THE TONGUE

He sat there in the empty church 

that afternoon – looking at the red 

vigil lights – tongues of prayer – 

still burning from after Sunday Mass. 

The tongue – that instrument of love 

and hate – but mainly used for life’s 

daily chit chat - spoken in cars, bars, 

and on one billion cell phones each day. 

As the Bible’s Letter of James said 

a long, long  time ago, “How great     

a forest is set ablaze by a small fire.

And the tongue is burning fire.”

And the rabble-rouser cried,

“Burn down the whole town.”

And the crowd went wild and

burned the whole town down.

And the singer sang and moved ten

thousand youth – to wave their arms

in concert, and to buy her records,

with her many songs of love.

And she spent two hours on the phone

each day – with her boy friend.

And her mom spent two hours on

the phone each evening with her mom.

And God said, “Let there be words.”

And the  tongue of God spoke. And the

Word became flesh and Jesus and his

words made their dwelling amongst us.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2020