Prayer on the Six P.M. Subway

Prayer on the Six P.M. Subway

unsteady
my prayer mounts or falls     why do I
waste so     want so
O make room
in the kingdom of light for lack lusters
among the austere and severe
for malfunctioning men
only this to their credit     NO GREAT HARM DONE
only passage writes
MAYBE on water

nevertheless
might make it yet
who knows     who knows
whether some hour
turns us on
unbelievable
as Christ's new somersaulting
start     his words     his heart

Daniel Berrigan (1921–2016) was was an American Jesuit priest, anti-war activist, Christian pacifist, playwright, poet, and author. He was arrested multiple times and was listed on the Federal Bureau of Investigations "most wanted list" after flight to avoid imprisonment. He was the first-ever priest to be included on that list.