Poem September 14, 1981 Issue

The tower of Babel

BARBARA DIX HENDERSON

The tower of Babel,
earthbound, baseless,
bears the label
"self-destructive," "faceless"!

Suggested buildup
of a million tiny minds,
fictitious fantasies—
each one a separate power
seeking to devour
whatever would reduce
its self-importance.

Each would accuse
some other little mind
as if to say,
"With you out of the way
then I can thrive."

Oh, have a care!

Unless Love is the impetus
and Love the goal,
with its diversified expression
seen as one harmonized, collective whole,
diversity is falsified
in fragmentation;
and speech,
the bastard child of Babel's tower,
becomes the tool of mortal thoughts gone sour,
which try to mock salvation.

But Spirit's rhythm frees diversity
to operate as unanimity.
Its only action is to separate
the lies of fable from Truth's aggregate:
the all-pervading influence— ONE LORD,
one language, ever governed by
the WORD—
with all men in accord.

BARBARA DIX HENDERSON

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