Lord,
Where are my prayers?
They seem
Smaller than a mote
Within my hollow heart
And more empty
Than the void of space.
When I shout,
The echoes
Ring through the Universe,
But all I hear
Is their empty
Return to my ears.
If I whisper,
All the words seem lost,
Growing thinner, fainter,
Til nothing else remains.
I listen for Your voice,
And sometimes,
I hear it in the wind,
Or see it
Dancing down a moonbeam.
You speak through a blossom,
In a curl of smoke,
With the gleam
Of a precious jewel.
You are Everywhere--
But I cannot understand
Your enternal speech.
I am troubled
By my thoughts, O Lord,
For they fester
With loveless greed
And selfishness.
Where I should love,
I am indifferent;
Where I should listen,
My ears are closed.
When I should care,
I turn away.
5/14/76
© Fred O'Bryant. All rights reserved.