(Anonymous)
I am praying again, Awesome One.
—Rainer Maria Rilke
A new day is born, Awesome One,
and I am praying for the teeth and smoke of the dragons,
for the hungry children with swollen bellies,
for unrepentant criminal in the prison cell,
and for the tears of the Magdalene at the foot of the cross.
And I am praying for my mother's soul, wherever it may be,
and for my father's soul, too,
and for their sins and their blood and their bones.
I am praying also for my own death,
that it may be worthy of my life, and yes,
I am praying for my life,
that it may be worthy of a good death,
a strong death, with some courage to it.
Awesome One, how I love this world,
I love the frightening ocean, its deep strength,
and I love the power of the land,
and the wild emptiness of the sky.
I love my soul, and the mystery of living.
I am praying that guns are silenced
and borders erased, that the food is shared,
and schools are built instead of prisons.
Let me pray just a moment longer,
that the children and grandchildren after me
know my heart, and more, that they know
their own hearts, and Yours, and so
live in the light of grace.
I am praying again, Awesome One,
I am on my knees in the moonlight
praying for the teeth and smoke of the dragons.
I am praying.
—James Lee Jobe, Davis, CA
(The title comes from Rilke's Book Of Hours.)
_______________________
—Medusa, with thanks to James Lee Jobe for today's fine poem.
