Jean O’Brien

MANY are the cries sent upward to God’s throne:

The cry for justice comes out of the depths—

The depths of woe;

The cry for mercy from the depths of sin;

And mothers of slain soldiers cry for courage—

Courage to bear the ills that go with life.

The children pray with souls all innocent

(Yet mindful of each little trespass wrought)

They pray for a pure heart; and soldiers pray

That God may save their dear ones from war’s plagues;

And beggars pray for bread, or pleasant weather.

But from the high, high places of the world,

The prayer, when prayer there is, is all for power—

Power and glory, and honor—forever: nothing more.