Prayer

Robert Boates
From:   The afterlife. Toronto: Seraphim Editions. 1998.

How do I beg
for a silent pardon
Surely frustration
and despair were expected
My heart is wrapped
in broken glass but
I've made it this far
Am I to be laced
with horror all my life
Slower than a sloth
I cannot be a threat
Once I looked forward
to grandfatherhood
Do you require
a deeper story
I plead guilty
I've earned my shame
I owe my demoralized ally
She gave birth
to what I'm becoming
Raised me properly
in a second childhood I cry out
in a robe she purchased
for this pilgrimage
Teach me how to fly
My eyes are wide open
and I am still flapping

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