I shouted aloud and louder while out on a plain one day, The sound grew faint and fainter Until it had died away. My words had gone forever, They left no trace or track, But the hills nearby caught up the cry And sent an echo back.
I spoke a word in anger To one who was my friend, Like a knife it cut him deeply, A wound that was hard to mend. That word, so thoughtlessly uttered, I would we could both forget, But its echo lives and memory gives The recollection yet.
How many hearts are broken, How many friends are lost By some unkind words spoken Before we count the cost! But a word or deed of kindness will repay a hundredfold, For it echoes again in the hearts of men And carries a joy untold. - C.A. Lufburrow
