Poem: “The Beauty of the Sound of the Bells”

The beauty of the sound of the bells

rings from  a tower

that rises from a building

that houses a school

that teaches a tradition

that grows from a history

that flows with the blood

of slaves who were chained

and women who were silenced

as the church gave witness

to Christ who inspired

the people who built

the tower that rings

with the beauty of the sound of the bells.

“The Beauty of the Sound of the Bells” by Thomas H. Troeger from Borrowed Light: Hymn Texts, Prayers and Poems (Oxford, 1994). Copyright © Oxford University Press. Reprinted with permission from the publisher.