PRAYER 17

THE FIRST ARCHIVES- A poetic journey into and through adolescence ~

It’s true what they say,

About people who pray,

They pray when they have committed a sinful deed,

Or are truly in need.

I pray because I have committed a sinful deed

And feel I am in need.

“Dear God…”

…I pray…

“Help me father”, I say

Please Lord, Please.

Lord, God Almighty- let this trouble cease.

I’ve learnt my lesson well

This lesson I will spread and tell,

Be wise and know that crime never pays,

Be careful and someday goodness may.

Amen.

- This is a prayer I wrote when I was about to turn seventeen. I had been caught shoplifting by the local authorities and I had a court case to settle. I had no lawyer, we did not have the finances and it was the beginning of my summer vacation, my mother and brother were back in Tanzania and my dad was regularly at work, so I was staying with some family friends. Eventually my parents found out and I was screwed, I thought my life was over. I prayed and prayed and a month later, the day before my seventeenth birthday I prayed again, I got a revelation from God and an hour later I got the call that the charges were dropped. I have learnt my lesson and am no longer that person.