The Common Prayer

Open to Inter­pre­ta­tion, July 2013

The Common PrayerThe girl can­not stay in her bed.
Jesus requires of her one more prayer.

…if I die before I wake

I pray the Lord my soul to take…

The cov­ers are warm but
she must go back to her knees

…and Jesus will come

like a thief in the night…

will take her moth­er, leave her behind
unless she gets back to her knees

…Please Jesus…

I want to be born again…

her knees are get­ting so cold.

My chil­dren nev­er say I pray
the Lord my soul to take.
God knows I don’t want him
to take their souls
or their wolf-cub bodies.

I work voodoo on my knees
beside their beds.
Jesus Christ, my hus­band says,
won’t you ever come to bed?

Night falls on my babies.
My girl dreams she’s lost me

…and the sins

shall be visited…

I blow light­ly on her face,
stroke her cheek, cross her wrists
hop­ing Jesus can’t get past
the sign of the cross.