“A Time to Speak, A Time to Rend”:
The poem explores the biblical concept of speaking truth in love as a precious treasure, drawing from Ephesians 4:15. It highlights the delicate balance of delivering truth with gentleness to heal, yet acknowledges moments, inspired by Ecclesiastes 3, where brutal honesty becomes necessary. This sharper truth, though painful, cuts through denial or decay to awaken and restore. The sonnet presents truth as a dual force—tender and loving at times, fierce and wounding when needed—ultimately a divine gift that serves both mercy and justice!
A treasure rare, from sacred wellsprings drawn,
The truth in love, a gentle balm to give,
Yet times arise, beneath a shadowed dawn,
When candor’s edge must cut to make us live.
For love alone may cloak what must be seen,
A softened veil o’er rot that festers deep,
Then brutal honesty, though sharp, serene,
Awakes the soul from slumber’s coward sleep.
Ephesians bids us speak with grace in view,
Yet Ecclesiastes knows the seasons’ turn,
A time to rend, to pierce the heart straight through,
When fire of truth must blaze, and bridges burn.
This priceless gift, both tender and severe,
Doth heal through love—or wound, when truth is near.