Heart Prayer by Elizabeth Cunningham for National Poetry Month

[dragonyphoenix]

One of the reasons I love this poem is that it reminds me of the meditative practice called tonglen.

Heart Prayer by Elizabeth Cunningham

You can only pray what's in your heart

so if your heart is being ripped from your chest
pray the tearing

if your heart is full of bitterness
pray it to the last dreg

if your heart is a river gone wild
pray the torrent

or a lava flow scorching the mountain
pray the fire

pray the scream in your heart
the fanning bellows

pray the rage, the murder
and the mourning

pray your heart into the great quiet hands
that can hold it
like the small bird it is.

Comments

[lemorttoussaint.livejournal.com]

Beautiful.

[dragonyphoenix.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I like this one so much I copied it down and put it onto my fridge! ;-)

Ah, and thanks for the icon. It's awesome.