The Man speaks
to instruct the Other
about things of which he knows nothing.
He speaks
to overwhelm his opponent.
He speaks
to cover his faults.
He speaks
to be insensible to
the bitter voice of conscience.
He speaks
to turn away
the appeals of the hurt.
And thus the Man,
silencing Truth, Justice, and Holiness
under a torrent of words,
in that same torrent sinks himself
along with his liberation.
Much more valuable,
for the world and for him,
would be to grasp the secret of silence,
so as to pick up
on the wavelength of the Spirit
a divine message
of faith, hope and charity.
Florence, 2 V 1984
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