In My Prayers

in my prayers this morning you became the sky which through the entire night did not close its eyes, a clear expanse ready to receive the first light, a curve of silence in wait of sound

as the sun drifted above my head, you became in my prayers the tips of pines, eternally green and forever presenting abstruse questions to the wind that hisses from directions unknown

in my prayers at dusk you became the sparrow that fluffed its feathers in the mist, alighted on the branch and felled the tassel of the guava flowers and then in sudden excitement flew away to alight on the mango branch

in my prayers this evening you became the distant wind that descended ever so slowly, tiptoed down the path and slipped through the cracks of the panes and door to press its cheeks and lips against my hair, chin and eyelashes

in my prayers tonight you became the beating of my heart that has so patiently endured what seems to be limitless pain and faithfully revealed one secret after another, the unending song of my life

i love you, and for that reason, will never stop praying for your well-being

-Sapardi Djoko Damono-