A Prayer's No Piece of Art

Be frank; tell me if ye feel lost, alone, I shall be thy moving shadow for life, I'll bathe and groom thee and soothe thy tired bone, Let me pick lice from thy hair, hirsute rife, A shepherd prayed, feelings flowing from heart, That, Moses felt profane in no mean part. No need, Moses, proper prayer to preach, I've sent thee, God said, to meet devotees, Build bridges that easy to me they reach, Mere words make no worship, nor build bridges; Turn not my followers unto machines, Nor prayers to pontiffs' pompous routines, A prayer that flows not from feeling heart To ritual turns, a hollow piece of art. _____________________________________________ An unlettered shepherd, a simpleton, knew no proper prayer. He would use absurd words as if talking to God, and often profane. Moses who was passing by heard him while he was praying, and scolded him for using such sacrilegious words for God, and taught him a proper prayer. The shepherd then on prayed mechanically hardly understanding the meaning, the prayer a mere motion of lips devoid of emotions. It was then Moses' turn to get scolded by God for robbing His true devotee of love and emotion whilst praying. Sonnets | 01.11.10 | Poet’s note: Here is a sonnet whose Octave is a sestet, and Sestet, an octave.