“If the only prayer you say throughout your life is “thank you” then that will be enough.” by Ian Brunner

“If the only prayer you say throughout your life “thank you” then that will be enough.” - Elie Wiesel

I am learning to pray,

which I suppose is to ask for what I want,

but what I want is to learn to want the right things.

I want to learn to ask for bridges made of intertwined hands which water runs under.

I want to see these hands from a different angel and think: Here is my church, here is the

steeple, open the door and see all the people.

I want the steeple to be our steeple and the world to be our world.

I want to see with the eyes of a child but wonder with the heart of a man.

I want to ask for the easing of burdens, for the changing of the system, for more men to look up

at night because how can we be important among all that clutter?

I want us all to know true madness just once. The kind that makes men sing and dance and

boys and girls laugh because the old curse: “May you live in interesting times” is also a blessing.

I want for you to learn to pray in whatever way you need to.

I want you to ask for the right things and I want you to sing as the universe revolves around you

and you revolve around the universe.

I want you to dance and laugh and go mad and when it comes time to say goodbye I want the

amount of times you said thank you to litter the shores of all the hearts you touched.

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Ian Brunner is Buffalo born writer. He is the author of the chapbook: Ruminations. He has recently been published in The Novice Writer, Volume 1: Fear, Flash of Dark Volume 2, and Life as It Happens: A Nerdfighter Poetry Book. He can be found on Twitter @MadRadIan and Facebook.Com/IanBrunnersWriting.