The Tone Of Voice

It's not so much what you say
As the manner in which you say it;
It's not so much the language you use
As the tone in which you convey it;
"Come here!" I sharply said,
And the child cowered and wept.
"Come here," I said--
he looked and smiled
And straight to my lap he crept.
Words may be mild and fair
And the tone may pierce like a dart;
Words may be soft as the summer air
But the tone may break my heart;
For words come from the mind
Grow by study and art--
But tone leaps from the inner self
Revealing the state of the heart.
Whether you know it or not,
Whether you mean or care,
gentleness, kindness, love and hate,
Envy, anger, are there.
Then, would you quarrels avoid
And peace and love rejoice?
Keep anger not only out of your words--
Keep it out of your voice.

Author Unknown

No Friend Like Music

There is no whispering of any friend,
No solace that can touch the quivering heart
In that lone hour when a sudden end
Has captured laughter and there falls apart
A rainbow that has bridged a distant hill;
When roses shatter on the stem, and dark
Crowds out the candle's shimmering flame and still
The night creeps on with neither torch nor spark.

No friend like music when the last word's spoken
And every pleading is a plea in vain;
No friend like music when the heart is broken,
To mend its wings and give it flight again;
No friend like music, breaking chains and bars
To let the soul march with the quiet stars!

Daniel Whitehead Hicky

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