LET US PRAY

LET US PRAY

As we close our eyes,

Go on our knees each day,

And pray for ourselves, family and friends,

Let us not forget to say a word of prayer

For the needy who appear far yet near.

Let’s say a word of prayer for eighteen-year-old Dorcia,

Who could have been your sister,

Whose aspiration was to be a professional nurse,

Yet finds herself on the streets of the city at night,

Prostituting to make ends meet.

Her parents died tragically,

Leaving her with five other siblings to fend for.

Do not judge her.

Pray for her.

Let’s pray for Mr. Whyte, a pensioner

Whose only son Paul,

Left for university and is yet to return home.

It’s been six years and Paul is still missing.

Please spare a moment,

To say a little prayer for Yohannie,

A father of three adolescents,

Who lives each blessed day on a life-support system,

After he was hit in the abdomen,

By a stray bullet from a police who attempted a warning-shot.

When we go down on our knees to pray for ourselves,

Let’s remember Veronica, a hawker

Whom you’ve never met,

Who needs to cough out $2,000 for an emergency spine surgery,

Yet can’t even afford a single strip of paracetamol.

Our world would certainly be a better place,

When the cries of others become our cries,

And the ills of our neighbours become our headache.

So when we go on our knees to pray,

Let’s not forget the needy that we know not,

And the emotionally disabled who seem far, yet near.

Let’s all pray for each other

For no man is an island.