Election Prayers

By Teev Handal

My prayers for the Country
Come easily
Because, what is love
If not a constant
Prayer resident
In the heart

My worry intertwines
With my prayers
Sanctifying words
And thoughts
Into a hope
For a nation healed, reunited

It is selfish of me
That I need this
Nation healthy for me
And not simply
For the nation itself
And the citizens
That have the same desire

But what is love
Other than both
A selfish and
A selfless prayer
Sent up to God
In wafts of smoke
Made grey in its earnestness