Footsteps crunch through a frozen square
Breath drifts white on the brittle air
You wrap cloth round a stranger’s knees
Saving warmth from the biting breeze
Sleeves grow damp in the falling sleet
Yet your kindness remains complete
Coal-black night on the narrow street
Turns to mercy beneath your feet
Every act plants a deeper tone
Melting ice in the world unknown
Happiness lives in the care you’ve shown—
Winter softens on your warmth alone