A Prayer for the World | Sagari Chhabra

How much blood

does a corpse bleed;

what is the sound

of a lamb that bleats

as it jumps

over a precipice,

when shepherds turn amiss?

 

O Lord, this year

give me a balm

to apply on sores,

for too many

have been crucified

at the altar of greed and war.

 

O Lord, grant my cupped hands

clean water for the thirsty,

for too many have been driven

from their lands,

by the river towards the salty sea,

that has turned red

with shame on

what it has had to witness.

O Lord, gently kiss

the waves,

turn them blue;

teach humanity to love

each other and you.

 

O Lord, give me some tea,

not soaked in pesticidal genocide,

but simple tea with bread,

stoked with humility and cultural pride,

for all the people on this earth,

that has soaked

the blood, bones and skeletal mess

of the innocent and powerless.

 

O Lord, may this year

the seeds of ahimsa sprout;

may children be raised,

not with devout

religiosity,

but the simple generosity

and compassion

of being human.

For this heaven on earth

may my people search,

to awaken.

 

Amen!

— Sagari Chhabra
7 January 2024
New Delhi