Somewhere a stranger holds me
In the Light of her thoughts.
She has bundled all my sorrows
Set them on her shoulders, told me
My load should be lighter, by and by.
She has stitched my name in her prayer circle
Of love. A handful of old women
In some square western state touch it
With their wise hands
And feel my pain for their own.
She has written to my grandmother
Via ExpressMail to God, and asked
That she repeat old prayers in my name.
She has taken down a crystal rosary
Fingered its beaded prayers all night
And emails me that one day,
Any day now, I shall be released.
I can see her at a kitchen table
Or propped in bed, like me, middle
Of some dark night, where even the form
Beside you gives no comfort.
While the pained world gathers round
The dull light of a laptop screen,
She pulls my name from an electronic hat
Takes my name from some eternal dark
Puffs air into my wings
And watches me take flight.
Key words: poetry, prayer, support groups, prayer circles, online prayer, online support groups