Bono’s Poem for Ruth Graham

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks on February 10, 2009

In 2002 Bono, the frontman for the rock band U2, visited the Grahams in their Montreat, N.C., home. Decision magazine published a photo of Bono reading poetry to an ailing Ruth Bell Graham. He presented her with that book of poetry, a volume by poet laureate Seamus Heaney, winner of the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature.

It seems that Bono wrote a poem of his own inside that book. The book is now on display at the Billy Graham Library and thanks to a visitor’s review we can see the first line of that poem:

“The journey from Father to friend is all paternal loves end. It was sung in my teenage ears in the voice of a preacher loudly soft on my tears.”

Bono has joined a cast of other celebrities in expressing thanks to Billy Graham. As an added Billy Graham-Bono connection, there are pictures of Billy Graham, Bono and Franklin Graham taken that day during Bono’s 2002 visit. To my knowledge, those photos have never been made publicly available.