Prayer in a Time of Fire

For the grey-green forest,

Lyrical in beauty,

Nurturing life and joy –

Now gone.

We pray

For those who rise in courage

To battle monsters,

To bear the dragon’s breath,

Struggling, exhausted,

We pray.

For those who cower

On new-crowded beaches

Desolate with fear

And too much loss to count

We pray.

For history made palpable:

Country townscapes

Wearing charm and welcome

Utterly destroyed

We pray.

For those so cruelly bludgeoned

Grieving for the arms

That will never touch again

And the words now no more spoken

We pray.

For sweet summer air made bitter

Tainted by smoke,

Choking and unbreathable

Blotting out the sun

We pray.

Let us never be a people

Of cold hearts and crossed arms

Wearing indifference as a shield

Terminally self-seeking

We pray.