I used to make a promise every day,
by self-control to limit what I eat,
but 50 years have shown me that’s no way
to modify my pattern. Words are neat
and vows are packed with powerful intent,
but stating never caused a change in me.
It mattered neither how nor what I meant,
for only doing made potential be.

It seems that one can swear a marriage vow
and by the words alone the premise seal,
or language-start a diet or career,
but my brief history has shown me how
it’s otherwise for me. I make a deal
by doing, long before commitment’s clear.