Tuesday, November 20, 2018

Prayer



When my heart has no words
when there is too much to pray for
and not enough hope
in the world
to right all the wrongs

When California is burning
as the climate naysayers say nay
I walk my speechless heart
into the forest

to try to find my way

Each tree
a living prayer
offering balm and breath
to the soul-weary
Each birdcall a note of hope
in the planetary song

humankind has
gotten wrong

When my heart has
only tears,
and there is too much to pray for
and not enough hope
to find my way
I let the trees pray for me
Breathe their peacefulness
into my being
Listen to all 

they have to say

Each tree
a living prayer,

each human adding either
dark or light
to the planetary plight





for Susan's prompt at Midweek Motif: Prayer, and shared with the Tuesday Platform at Real Toads.


21 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. You are right about having too much to pray about. Your poem reminded me of Joice Kilmer's poem, A Tree.
    "A tree that looks at God all day 
    And lifts her leafy arms to pray..."
    ..

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  3. This is so true: "Each birdcall a note of hope/in the planetary song/humankind has/gotten wrong".
    Your sensibility and sensitivity bring us all closer to the nature and the truths that bind us with it, whether we know of it or not. I am comforted by the trees praying and breathing their peacefulness at least somewhere. Beautiful writing, Sherry! :-)

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  4. Love the thought of letting the trees pray for us! Hope that at least works...we're running out of options here!

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  5. 'I let the trees pray for me
    Breathe their peacefulness
    into my being
    Listen to all'
    they have to say

    Oh this is so poignant Sherry!❤️

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  6. Beautiful poem, Sherry. So many lovely words written here.

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  7. "Each tree
    a living prayer
    offering balm and breath
    to the soul-weary"

    Yes indeed. A heartfelt experience. A poem of existence

    Happy you dropped by my blog today Sherry

    Much💛love💚

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  8. Beautiful! "I walk my heart. " Speechless, we hear the other voices.

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  9. Every tree is, indeed, a living prayer... Perhaps, that is the reason why seeing them burn hurts so much. As if prayers are been consumed, and so many failed to see the terribleness of the loss.

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  10. I was reading recently that 80% of South Australia conservation areas were available for oil exploration. I am dumbfounded.

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  11. each human adding either
    dark or light
    to the planetary plight

    Very good close Sherry! Nature knows best but unfortunately Man taints and tilts the balance!

    Hank

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  12. Dear Respected Sherry what a touching and sad poem reflecting the harsh reality of life in the world today, 'I read a title 'Paradise is Burning 'and I prayed more Maythe Lord turn all such destructive fires into flowers, may it rain from the heavens above and bring peace to all.amen

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  13. Isn't it tragic that humans haven't learnt anything from such precious life forms? "I let the trees pray for me
    Breathe their peacefulness
    into my being"...Love this mindfulness.

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  14. Human beings have such an awesome responsibility when it comes to the planet's plight. Most of the time, I fear, we shirk that responsibility.

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  15. Thank you for the beautiful reminder:

    Each tree
    a living prayer

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  16. The decimation of forests is the writing on the wall for this planet.

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  17. Amazingly beautiful!
    'Each tree a living prayer' attracts the tree lover in me like a magnet..

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  18. The last stanza brought it home. I'd like to think that light exceeds the darkness...even if it's not immediately apparent.
    Beautiful.

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