The Power of Prayer

The Power of Prayer


Valerie, I suppose you are still practicing
Jumping in and out of a lasso.
I know you took up this activity
After a visit to the West a few years ago.
Do you still wear the white felt cowboy hat,
The white silk shirt, and snakeskin boots.
I still have the sprig of tumbleweed you mailed.
You said tumbleweed was your biography.
Well, I've kept a part of you,
If the part is only symbolic.
I do miss you. I spent most of the summer
Watching the tides. When the waves flow in,
The coquinas stick out white forked tongues;
But when the waves recede,
the coquinas close their shells.
I've dedicated my life to these observations.
But due to heavy summer rains,
I stay in most of the time.
Inside, I pray. You know, I'm not religious.
I don't believe in prayer,
but I pray on these rainy days,
For there isn't much else to do
since you went away.


Duane Locke

Posted over on Unlikely Stories