The prayers of three decades 

  Sing in the bottom of my river.

  From the casualties of love I have

  Built a chemistry of forgiveness,

  Even when spoken fatalities surround

  Me with darkness threatening

  Mother’s smiles and father’s

  Hands I cherish as able guides.

  As for each day I gain entry

  Into the mystery of a new year,

  It is the shadows of storms

  Quieted by the wings of providence

  That warms my heart

  To energize my feet.