PRAYER FOR IMAGINARY BEINGS
protect the people who don’t exist, who are made of nothing but words or childhood beliefs—keep them from invisible harm and threats not present, comfort them if the love they receive isn’t real.
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PRAYER FOR THE BODY
dear body,
it’s time to smooth some anti-bacterial cream over your troubled relationship with my head and observe the litany of what-i-must:
sit up straight; eat without devouring, eat without panic.
fit into a new pair of jeans; walk like i’m not afraid.
maintain a position of ease and grace. above all,
not be fussy about where my beautiful meat ends and the world begins.
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PRAYER TO SHARE THE ROAD
hey taxi man, hey cycle kids, pedestrians with or without cellphones glued to skulls, jaywalkers, out-at-five-o’clock crowd, delivery boy, truck driver, bus driver, larger than necessary vehicle driver, policewoman, jogger, blade runner, skip-child, hand-held child, child on a leash, child with double-slow grandparents, dog-wielding flotilla of best friends forever, arm-in-arm lovers, homeless man,
let’s make room.