I know a woman
who writes beautiful words,
words of healing and encouragement.
Her meditations inspire.
Her reflections open closed hearts.

But in daily life,
she speaks with harshness and cruelty,
slashing and burning.
She spews verbal napalm
that strips the foliage
from human hearts.

This is a danger
for preacher and poet alike–
are you whole and congruent?
Are you one person,
no matter the setting?

I worry about this,
even as I write this final line.

Text and image © 2013 by Dirk deVries. All
rights reserved.