bells

by Sch. Edward Joseph Magtoto, SJ

silence.

The chirps of birds mean nothing.
The chatter of crickets unimportant.
The clicking keyboards,
the harsh banter of plates and cutlery,
the canned melodies from a silver box—
all sound the same, all mean the same,
for they mean not more than the silence within.

When shall I hear you sing, O bells of yore?
I long for that faithful melody—the hymn of high noon,
the cadenced chant of twilight.
I long to close my eyes and hear
that clanging tenor which soothes my soul.
I long to breathe in that song of praise: a serenade
to the Woman who sings for joy.
I long for that rhythmic poetry of ringing—
when the silence within resounds the more,
when the choreographed revelry of your delightful chimes
announce the banquet to friends once more.

Jody is on his second year of Philosophy at the Ateneo de Manila University. He is also finishing a thesis for his MS in Computer Science. Jody loves to watch art films and read novels. Jody is into photography and verse and prose composition. Along with other Jesuit enthusiasts, he maintains a blog about food and spirituality entitled The Jesuit Gourmet.