Pray for the Children



We pray for children
who give us sticky kisses,
who hop rocks & chase butterflies,
who stomp in puddles & ruin their new pants,
who sneak Popsicles before supper,
who erase holes in their mathbooks,
who can never find their shoes.


And we pray for those
who stare at photographers from behind barbed wire,
who've never squeaked across the floor in new sneakers,
who've never "counted potatoes",
who are born in places we wouldn't be caught dead,
who never go to the circus,
who live in an X-rated world.


We pray for children
who bring us fistfuls of dandelions & sing off-key,
who have goldfish funerals, build card-table forts,
who slurp their cereal on purpose,
who get gum in their hair, put sugar in their milk,
who spit toothpaste all over the sink,
who hug us for no reason, who bless us each night.


And we pray for those
who never get dessert,
who watch their parents watch them die,
who have no safe blanket to drag behind,
who can't find any bread to steal,
who don't have any rooms to clean up,
whose pictures aren't on anybody's dresser,
whose monsters are real.


We pray for children
who spend all their allowance before Tuesday,
who throw tantrums in the grocery store,
and pick at their food,
who like ghost stories,
who shove dirty clothes under the bed
and never rinse out the tub,
who get quarters from the tooth fairy,
who don't like to be kissed in front of the carpool,
whose tears we sometimes laugh at
and whose smiles can make us cry.


And we pray for those
whose nightmares come in the daytime,
who will eat anything,
who have never seen a dentist,
who aren't spoiled by anybody,
who go to bed hungry & cry themselves to sleep,
who live & move, but have no being.


We pray for children
who want to be carried,
and for those who must.
For those we never give up on,
and for those who don't have a chance.
For those we smother,
and for those who will grab the hand of anybody
kind enough to offer.


by....Ina Hughes











Please Visit My Other Sites

General Pages / Humor / Inspirational

Welcome to PJs (Home Page)	PJs Patio of Links	Moonlight Ride
Reflections	The Ring	Pennies
The Most Beautiful Heart	Remember When	Or...
Dear Friend	Prayer for the Children	Laugh With Me
The Rules	Application to Date My Daughter	Spring
Death of an Innocent	From Me to You (Christmas)	Between You and Me
Believe It!	Beware	I Drink From My Saucer
The New School Prayer	Happiness	Something To Think About
The Bible vs. TV Guide	The Price of a Child	The Road to Success
Value of Time	The Best Is Yet To Come	Touch Me

Lake Applets

(Lake Applet: How to)	Beyond the Palms (Sunset)	Big Sky
Catch a Butterfly	Falls	Flowers and Lake
Forest	Lake	Mountain Falls
Mountain Lake	Monet's Bridge	Paula's Retreat
Rock Lake	Rocks on the River	Stream and Flowers
Sunrise	Swan	Waterfalls
Wild Flowers	Windmill	Mom and Babies

Snow Applets

Autumn Snow	End of the Day	Foot Prints in the Snow
Holiday Home	In Silence	Homeward Bound
Over the River	Sleigh Ride	Sleigh Ride II
Snow in the Pines	Snow on the Farm	Snowy Path
Tranquility	View from the Rooftop	On My Way Home

Rain Applets

After the Carnival	Autumn Forest	Azalea's
Bayou	Country	Country Lane
Field of Flowers	Field of Wheat	Foot Bridge
Forest Rain	Lake Rain	Lonely Palm Tree
Puddles	Rain in October	Sunset

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