Prayer Without Words

Say not a word, be still, and fear to pray;
Forego not the great prayer of silence; plead
With the great plea of helplessness, and say
No word but vast dependence for thy creed.

This impotence is thy best title; this
Ebb of the spirit calls to all the seas.
The eternal travelling waters of the abyss
And of the height know all their estuaries.

This is the last resort, the ultimate claim,
The plea that cannot fail when all has failed.
The heart whose prayers are mocked, that in the flame
Itself is charred or shivered, here is healed.