Say Me a Prayer

If in my sleep tonight I cut the ropes

And hear not the bell that wakes the day

 Say me a prayer

That all may carry my songs to dark

Corners and sing light to their sight.

That the dusts which gather at my feet may

Paint pious portraits on all walls.

 

Say me a prayer

That my hands may once again feel

 the warmth of garlanded pens.

That my fingers may never forget the bond

They shared with white and black keys.

That the strings of my guitar may guard their

tunefulness to serenade celestial beings.

 

You who war against awful memories

Flying the flag of time’s rotten toes,

How does your fight pacify wailing bloods?

 

Those who are gone are bade farewell and presented

Prayers as gifts; their routes to spirit lands are free of thorns.

Over there, they sit atop sacrifices and feast on libations.

When my ancestors send signs

Say me a prayer

That the paths which I shall cross be laced with roses.