lenten journal: evening prayer
evening prayer
the world is quiet in our town
the moon shines through clouds
as if God is under the covers
reading with a flashlight
I can hear no bombs
or see any tracer rockets
no buildings are burning
no one has to hide to be safe
I have done nothing to earn
this quiet peaceful night
that I am here and not there
is an accident of lineage
perhaps of privilege
is a better way to say it
so I pray for the Ukrainians
as if it makes a difference
but the longer this goes on
I feel my prayers expand
to wish our leaders had
Zelenskyy’s courage
I don’t have much hope
that prayer will be answered
then I feel my anger rise to
say I wish Putin would die
I would rather him die
than those who were doing
nothing more than living
when the bombs hit
the world is quiet in our town
and I am sad and angry and
bitter and disappointed
in our leaders, our country
we need to do more than
wait till things are over so
we can build a memorial
that God can read in the dark
Peace,
Milton
