a prayer may rise on breath and flame,
a fast may thin the flesh to frame,
yet if the heart is sealed in stone,
no sacred word can make it known.
for faith is not in whispered pleas
nor hollow ache of bended knees,
but in the mercy hands extend,
the wounds we choose to help and mend.
kind words reveal the truest creed,
soft acts that answer silent need,
a loaf shared whole, a burden eased,
a door held wide, a soul at peace.
so do not count the hours bowed,
nor wear your hunger hard and loud,
let love be proof, let service show
the only truth the world should know.