God of of the broken-hearted:
the streets of your kingdom
are flooded with our tears,
for we have no other place
to offer them.

Bearer of pain:
you heard the wailing of Rachel,
the loud laments in Ramah;
hear the cries of
our sisters and brothers in New Orleans,
whose babies have no milk,
whose parents have no oxygen,
whose lives have no future.

Repairer of streets:
comfort those who see houses
slipping into the sea;
who watch bodies floating by;
who look for rescue in their distress.

Builder of communities:
give those who have experienced
terror and loss
a vision of recovery and peace;
give those who have lost everything
a future filled with hope;
give those who wander lost and afraid,
a people who will embrace them
and give them life.


(c) 2005 Thom M. Shuman