Poems (Angier)/Half a Loaf is better than no Bread

by Annie Lanman Angier

"HALF A LOAF IS BETTER THAN NO BREAD."

Give what you can,
 Be it little or much;
A word, look, or smile
 Or the friendly hand's touch,
And never forget
 That the proverb hath said,
"A half of a loaf
 Is worth more than no bread."

There are some who have only
 A piece to bestow;
Their means are but small,
 Though the heart may o'erflow;
But such will increase
 Both their oil and their meal,
If others' wants cause them
 To act and to feel.

A famine was raging,
 The prophet applied
For food, to the widow,
 Nor was he denied;
And how was her soul
 Of its sorrow beguiled;
When for bread, she was paid
 In the life of her child!

Be it ever so humble,
 The gift you bestow,
To the heart of the giver
 A blessing must flow;
So long as 'tis true
 What the proverb hath said—
"A half of a loaf
 Is worth more than no bread."