A Prayer for Children
We pray for children who like to be tickled,
Who put their sticky fingers everywhere,
Who like to walk in puddles,
Who can never find their shoes.
And we pray for children who stare at photographers from behind barbed wire,
Who have never had a new pair of sneakers to run down the street in,
Who were born in places where we wouldn't be caught dead,
Who never go to the circus,
Who live in an X-rated world.
We pray for children who bring us sticky kisses and fistfuls of dandelions,
Who like to sleep with the dog,
Who insists on burying goldfish,
Who hug us in a hurry and forget their lunch money,
Who sing off key,
Who squeeze the toothpaste all over the sink.
And we pray for those who never get dessert,
Who have watched their parents die,
Who can't find any bread to steal,
Who don't have a bedroom to clean up,
Whose pictures aren't on anybody's dresser,
Whose monsters are real.
We pray for children who hide their dirty clothes under the bed,
Who throw tantrums in the grocery store,
Who pick at their food,
Who like to tell ghost stories,
Who love visits from the tooth fairy,
Who don't like to be kissed in front of the school bus.
And we pray for those whose nightmares come in the daytime,
Who will eat anything,
Who aren't spoiled by anybody,
Who have never seen the dentist,
Who go bed hungry,
Who cry themselves to sleep,
Who live and move and have no being.
We pray for children who want to be carried,
We pray for children who must be carried,
We pray for children who will grab the hand of anyone kind enough to offer it.
Amen.