At Day's Start And Close

A Prayer by Edwin Markham

Teach me, Father, how to go

Softly as the grasses grow;

Hush my soul to meet the shock

Of the wild world as a rock;

But my spirit, propt with power,

Make as simple as a flower.

Let the dry heart fill its cup,

Like a poppy looking up;

Let life lightly wear her crown

Like a poppy looking down,

When its heart is filled with dew,

And its life begins anew.

Teach me, Father, how to be

Kind and patient as a tree.

Joyfully the crickets croon

Under the shady oak at noon;

Beetle, on his mission bent,

Tarries in that cooling tent.

Let me, also, cheer a spot,

Hidden field or garden grot—

Place where passing souls can rest

On the way and be their best.

A Prayer At The Close Of Day

Father Still My Soul

Help Me to move Ever So Slow

Like a Willow's Fronds

Gentled By A Dancing Breeze

Let My Mind So Be Quietened

Forgive Tasks Done In Anger or Haste

Let These Be Lessons Learned

Not Battles Strategized

My Weary Brain Wages at Night

Take My Heart to Your Meadow

Where Flowers Bloom, Nightingales Sing

Streams Sparkle as They Trickle

And Fireflies and Stars Guide My Dreams

Milancie  31August 2011