The Dailies

 

God, you give me this day

Give us this day

Sounds strange, now I think on it,

To be saying it so late in church

Since we’ve already had the day

For a while—thank you

For giving us this some hours

Ago

 

I guess the gratitude’s still in it

And a God of kairos shouldn’t mind

But what is daily bread? Bread?

Food? Any food?

Water? Something else we drink?

Is it to have enough only for today

So we should pray again

Tomorrow?

The Israelites could not keep the manna

Miracle it was, falling from heaven

Like that

But it would not keep

They really had daily bread

 

And is that now for us?

Give us what we need today

Help us not to hoard against tomorrow

Give others daily bread as well

We know too many won’t have it

Maybe this is a trespass of the one

Who prays,

Who has bread for today

Who might have some to share

With those who might pray yet still go

Without bread

If so, it isn’t a trespass like the one

We should forgive

We should ask to be forgiven,

Then to share the daily bread

 

So that prayer and all things magical

Might have substance on Earth

Such that everyone may pray

For food and air and water

And then have it

 

How many Shakespeares would we save?

How many Achebes?

Which is not the point but

Could be a boon for all of us

Simply keeping someone else in

Bread, of all things

What we have every day

While others starve

And die

 

Then if a Morrison should thank us later

Or a Cervantes or Sun Tzu

A Dickinson come out the house,

Daily will have some status and memory

In inspiration

For the world

Or you and I will have bread

With a little more to share with someone

Else

To re-create it all tomorrow

 

C L Couch

 

 

Photo by Bank Phrom on Unsplash

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