:: Jimmy Tingle 911 ::

:: Tuesday, January 01, 2002 ::

911: Prayer for America

There’s a hole in the tip of Manhattan
A hole in the soul of America
A hole in the center of our psyche
A hole in the foundation of our confidence
There’s a hole in the faith of our country
That fills churches in search of our God

There’s a crack in the national mirror
empty chairs around the family table
dark houses of our missing neighbors
Vacant desks of our absent workers

On our streets,
There's a wail from the widows with candles
sobs from the orphaned with pictures
the face breaks on the lawyer of the dead women’s husband
flags and flowers for the public servants

There’s a hole in the soul of America
Afraid with the televised pictures
Numb with the morning papers
Grieving for the land they loved
Grieving for the land they lost
Grieving for the innocent victims
Grieving for the broken families
Grieving for the friends still weeping
Grieving for the ones who fight fire
Grieving for the ones who fight crime
Grieving for the volunteers by the thousands
Grieving for the City that never Sleeps
Grieving for the City on a Hill

There’s a hole in the soul of Humanity
And I pray for all of our leaders
Good people and well intentioned
Condemned to retaliation,
Doomed to retribution
Sentenced to seek revenge

And we fear for those who go marching
Toward an enemy they can’t even see
Brave in the shadow of their fathers, Brave in the duty of history
Brave in the Madness , Brave in the Sadness, Brave in the Blindness

And I pray to the Prophets of History
Privy to the word of God
Moses on the Mountain with those Ten Commandments
We tend to ignore them, there're so inconvenient

Jesus on the Cross for the Love of his neighbors,
Jesus on the Cross for the Love of his enemies
And we love our Neighbors, when it’s in the National Interest
And we love our Enemies, when it's in the National Interest

Mohammed in the Koran with words that escape
fanatics abusing religion with hate
But the Koran is clear : "If you destroy one life it’s as if you've destroyed the whole world.
If you save one life it’s as if you have saved the whole world"
And God Cries from the tablets on Top of Mt. Sinai
Save the World
And God cries His last breath from the Cross on Good Friday
"Save the World"
And God Cries from the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem
"Save the world"
And God cries, and God cries, and God cries

There is a hole in the soul of His Children
Love can fill the hole
And God is Love
And we ask, where is God?

Strangers with shovels on the Tip of Manhattan
fill the hole
Firefighters from Chicago who drive to New York
fill the hole

Hollywood stars raise millions for victims
Benefits and fund-raisers and letters and cards
Boston Red Sox fans in Fenway Park sing we love NY
Fill the hole

And the Mayor
fills the hole
and the governor
fills the hole
and the president
fills the hole
and the media
fills the hole

The interfaith prayer services on the steps of city hall
fill the hole

Neighbors in the park with candles,
try to comfort the missing girl’s roommates
"she was on the 106th floor last Tuesday morning"

Candlelight vigils for peace
fill the hole
Young people in uniform for war
fill the hole

Flags at half mast and flags in our windows
the Star Spangled Banner and the prayer of St. Francis
The Star of David, the teachings of Islam, and the Letters of Paul
fill the hole

And the hole in our soul is our Cross
And our Cross Fills the Hole

Copyright Jimmy Tingle 2001 All Rights Reserved
For permission to publish or use email jimmy@jimmytingle.com

:: Unknown 10:43 PM [+] ::
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