More than that which divides us ?

In the age of fake news, deceit, narcissistic posturing, climate change denial perhaps we need more than ever the power of prayer. Not for me religious prayer but secular prayer. Words that remind us of our humanity, our connectedness, the indivisible bond that binds us, for, as the murdered politician Jo Cox so memorably said, “We have far more in common than that which divides us’
Prayer? It may seem an awkward word and I am sure phrases like ‘protest song’ sit more easily. But prayers ultimately are about establishing rapport between an individual and something precious and greater than themselves. A song like ‘Forever Young’ by Bob Dylan is a great example of this, words of hope and love for his son yet universal its embrace of fatherhood everywhere.
I have been trying to create a lyric as a prayer. I cannot say how successful it is yet, I am still working on it. But here it is in its first wobbly steps.

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Do You ?

Do you laugh at the wind or cry in the night
Or do you sleep like a baby when you turn out the light
Do you go to the seashore where the ice cuts the air,
From the edge of the cliff top, do you fly, do you dare?
 
Do you shut the cracked window, when the last birds have gone,
Do you imagine the whole world , is breathing as one,
Do you open your eyes wide, when day and dusk meets?
Do you shiver with pleasure, at the touch of cool sheets
 
Do you stretch out a hand to the touch of a flower,
Do you remember the soft days, when life fades with the hours,
Do you lie awake thinking of all that you planned,
Do you forgive those that curse you, and hate where you stand?
 
Do you remember the heartbreak, the failure the fool,
The smell and the strange ways of your first day at school,
Do you think of the young boy, in worn shoes and shorts,
Falling from treetops, as he hopes to get caught?
 
Do you hold to the truth, like a flame in your heart,
When the whole earth falls silent do you know where to start?
Like a hurricane of hope, do you let each day in,
Do you still keep on singing, though you know you can’t win?
 
© Steve Bonham 2019