dear lord,
what the fuck’s the use?
amen
dear lord,
why not someone I would choose?
amen
dear lord
ruler, roost
er biting the snake
as surely as the worm
feeds on shit
in the yard at dawn
amen
dear lord
ripples on water
chain of your endless mail
amen
bless me lord
in victory and defeat
amen

give me the strength and courage to endure
the tempest and tumult of my heart
let me know peace,
mind torn by doubt and despair,
let your works be a sign
that all is knit and One
pearl necklace strung light and dark,
both the Lord’s work.
Let me know your place is within,
that when I despair that you are lost,
you are lost.
That when I cry for you and there is no answer,
it is a sign.
I am a dust mote resting but a moment
in the sunbeam of your love.
And in that instant I am gold.
That is all I know.
Hear my prayer of thanks
for the stars and the sun and the moon.
Let each new day find new works of man begun.
New lives tumbled, new struggles found.
I listen and hear your song, Oh Lord,
I see the towers of the mighty and they are your shadow.
I see that we rise and fall upon a mighty ocean of time
and it is yours, each wave, each drop, each mote,
this moment to be shared with Thee

in the stillness
in the vacuum lock that defies entry
there you are
in the noise and tantrum
in the screaming, tears, pain, and hopelessness
there you are
in the empty hours of the morning
in the fruitless hours of the night
in the cold of winter, the blank stillness of summer
the howl of snow in spring and fall
there you are
I beseech you
be with me
I implore you
be with me
I beg and promise you
be with me
and
always with me
my support when all else crumbles
there you are
and I am with you
safe, singing, thankful for your blessings
the promise that is not broken
the trust that is not betrayed

for love
for the strength that love brings
for the love that surpasses all obstacles
for the love that reaches into the pit of your belly and pulls you out of yourself howling alive and anew
for the love that lies with the child in its mother’s womb
for the love that makes the father at birth
for the love that draws man to woman
for the love that makes friends,
for the love that drives men and women to heal and nurture,
people to beg a bargain with the wind
and seek a cure for that which seems incurable,
I thank Thee

in the darkness
in the abyss
in the sorrow that surpasses understanding
be with me
in the misery of tears that cannot conceal what has been said
be with me
in the fainting, in the weakness, in the sleep that seeks exhaustion
be with me, be my guide, be my strength,
be my Father, be my Mother, be the Voice in the night
that sings of the sun, that tells the surety of the tides,
that guides the moon through its orbit, be Thee mine,
be with me, guide me through the unfathomable,
see me through the darkness that never ends
be the Goal and the Way, be with me
be the Promise and the Voice
be the end of all things and the beginning of time
outside and beyond all that befalls me
be with me

thank you Lord for each moment he lives
thank you for each footstep in the hall
thank you for every smile
thank you for a fall halted by provident hand
the barrel chested roll into another faltering step
thank you for the baldness and the hair that follows
for the roll of the seasons, each savoured
and exulted in—today we went tobogganing!
with your blessings there is nothing we cannot do, nothing we need fear
may your love shower upon him, may your strength flow through him
may you show us the path through this dark hour
and remind me each moment how I treasure this time
this time that is unique, that is eternal, that is now
this gift of his company and ours with Thee