A Prayer

Cleanse me of this tattered smile These eyes who refuse to cry Cleanse me of this deserted body This mass I'm carrying to my grave I cannot bear to sing a song Which glorifies what's killing I cannot bear to march a long A beat with only white men calling I am lost within a sphere of lostness I am crying while I cling to tears As if the absence of this terror Would be too full for me to breathe I am lost within a sphere of lostness I am crying while I cling to tears As if the absence of this terror Would be too full for me to breathe Cleanse me of this cherished adoration Of a presence littered with my ashes Cleanse me of this need to be in charge Of my own unending loss Put me in the seat of long-time coming I want to watch my ocean disappear I want to be naked like I'm inside The mountain which was built to clothe Clarify my intentions Such that anger doesn't tell me that I'm wrong Speak to me in parable That the stories I have within me are undone I am lost within a sphere of lostness I am crying while I cling to tears As if the absence of this terror Would be too full for me to breathe Caress what's left of my conviction In being something more than I'll become I'm burning in this field of pity Where my ancestors all pitched their tent Crucify my need for comfort Crucify my need for praise My past is landing upon the people My heart has nowhere to run My heart has nowhere to run