Praying

By Mickie Lynn

Hands clasped in prayer
kneeling at the alter
– begging –
the homeless make their nickels
to buy their smokes
but still wear filth
and find food in the garbage
like the landfill feeds the seagulls
and the beach provides shells to
crabs that outgrow their old homes
in the shallow tide pools
full of sea anemones and cucumbers
that the children poke at
in fascination
as the parents look on
quietly thanking God for their blessings.