Page 87 - Lavender-B-5

Let’s read the poem.

Drop a pebble in the water: just a splash, and it is gone;

But there’s half-a-hundred ripples circling on and on and on,

Spreading, spreading from the center, flowing on out to the sea.
And there is no way of telling where the end is going to be.

Drop a pebble in the water: in a minute you forget,

But there’s little waves a-flowing, and there’s ripples circling yet,

And those little waves a-flowing to a great big wave have grown;
You’ve disturbed a mighty river just by dropping in a stone.

Drop an unkind word, or careless: in a minute it is gone;
But there’s half-a-hundred ripples circling on and on and on.

They keep spreading, spreading, spreading from the center as they go,

And there is no way to stop them, once you’ve started them to flow.

Drop an unkind word, or careless: in a minute you forget;
But there’s little waves a-flowing, and there’s ripples circling yet,

And perhaps in some sad heart a mighty wave of tears you’ve stirred,

And disturbed a life was happy ere you dropped that unkind word.

ripples: small waves
Drop a word of cheer and kindness: just a flash and it is gone; on the surface of
water
But there’s half-a-hundred ripples circling on and on and on, mighty: very large,
powerful
Bearing hope and joy and comfort on each splashing, dashing wave stirred: to mix a liquid

Till you wouldn’t believe the volume of the one kind word you gave. ere: before (in ancient
English)
bearing: (here) brings
Drop a word of cheer and kindness: in a minute you forget; volume: an amount or
quantity of something
But there’s gladness still a-swelling, and there’s joy a-circling yet,
And you’ve rolled a wave of comfort whose sweet music can be heard

Over miles and miles of water just by dropping one kind word.

—James W Foley

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