Handle with care

Handle them carefully for words have more power than atom bomb. Flung to the ground without discrimination they explode and travel farther than the missile could. Time has never bound their circulation. Still the script unrolls from Pharaohs and from even earlier times. They merit thoughtful shaping, craftsman's touch, the dedicated work of skillful hands. Who knows what some adventurer in space may find on other planets light-years hence? A native tongue to be translated by discoverer of a new Rosetta Stone or message left in tongue that is well known by some explorer launched from Plant Earth? Words are for cherishing, for holding close till they are valued at their proper worth till they are shaped and polished and complete then given space, not crowded or obscured by misplaced ictus, ruining the sound, which like the meaning has its work to do. Release these gifts with courage and with care, with love and with humility and prayer! Pearl Strachan Hurd