Thursday, November 24, 2011

A Thanksgiving Prayer for Those Who Don’t Pray



A Thanksgiving Prayer for Those Who Don’t Pray

Thanks for the hands.
All of them.
            That dug and scratched,
            reaped and loaded,
            milled and butchered,
            baked and cooked,
            served and scrubbed.

The cracked,
            the bleeding,
                        the blistered hands.

The hands that
hewed and smelted,   
            sawed and hammered,
            wove and sewed,
            put together and took apart.

The  calloused,
            the  greasy,
                        the grimy hands.

The hands that
            wrote and painted,
            plucked and keyed
            carved and created.

The graceful,
            the supple,
                        the nimble hands.

The hands that
            caressed and fondled,
            stroked and petted,
            held and are held,
            grasped and gave,
            played and prayed.

The warm,
            the soft,
                        the forgiving hands.

And today bless even the hands that
            shoved and scourged,
            slapped and smote,
            bound and chained us.

The harsh,
            the hateful,
                        the heavy hands.

Today they cannot still our hands
            from their pleasure and their duty.

The void of anger they create,
            our hands fill with love.

The gentle,
            the clasping,
                        the reaching hands.

Patrick Murfin

3 comments:

  1. Excellent prayer Patrick and AFA*I*AC it could be and even *should* be a prayer for those who do pray. . .

    ReplyDelete
  2. Apparently I am not the only God believing person who liked your Thanksgiving prayer Patrick.

    Have a good one!

    http://paper.li/GodsShepherd/1300931699

    ReplyDelete
  3. Robin--Thanks for the kind word and the tip!

    ReplyDelete