Teaching Prayer
Elena Hahn 2006 (Pennsylvania)
I am teaching myself to pray
To bow my head
Tuck my chin next to my heart
To clasp my hands
And press them reverently to moving lips
I am teaching myself to pray
Reaching my hands up
Eyes clenched tight
Coping the ecstasy of the others
Mouth fallen wide
I am teaching myself to pray
Cradling your book
Like a fussing newborn
Trails of salt on my skin
My shoulders slumped in sorrow
I am teaching myself to pray
My face hot and my skin damp
My forehead pressed to my knees
My limbs shivering
My tongue lapping at the words
I am teaching myself to pray
And I am wondering
What will it take for you to pray back
About this poem
This poem is about my struggle with religion during my childhood, and a loss of faith after I realized that God wasn't going to answer me
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Written on January 10, 2024
Submitted by hahne0537 on February 05, 2024
- 37 sec read
- 0 Views
Quick analysis:
| Scheme | Axxxx Axxxx Axxxx Axxbx Abx |
|---|---|
| Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
| Characters | 613 |
| Words | 126 |
| Stanzas | 5 |
| Stanza Lengths | 5, 5, 5, 5, 3 |
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"Teaching Prayer" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/182237/teaching-prayer>.
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