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.