May 5th

“"When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words.” Matthew 6:7

bands play polished mercies,
leaders recast grief as slogans,
endless blessings nobody can touch
scroll down our screens,
and even prayer seems eager
for applause, yet you,
God of 2:00 a.m. phone calls
and kitchens serving the homeless
while the privileged sleep,
you listen to every weary breath
not well-rehearsed tongues,
you pay no attention to holy words
trying to build stairways to heaven.
you hear the mother who can
only whisper ‘help me.’
you hear the widower holding
grief’s silence like a chipped mug.
you hear children of war asking
the same fearful questions.
so, perhaps that is our lesson—
to stop filling the air with
emptiness we rehearse
until our speech is perfect
but
to let truth run barefoot,
to know that hope needs
hands, not just a pat on the back,
that love will always be heard
even if all we can do
is whisper it in our souls.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom M. Shuman