Lord forgive me br That I have chosen to become a poet br Forgive me for what I write br The poems of my life br Grant me such devotion br To write the poems that I love br Grant me the love of poetry br That must not distract me br From tenderness br Make my desire last long br Make my disillusion short br Uproot from me these impure desires br From those poems that trouble me br Let not some images confuse me br Let not some metaphors numb me br Let not my dullness sadden me br Let your radiance descend upon br The modesty of my poems br As you once gave radiance br To the prophets who cannot speak br For themselves br Let me be a strong poet br Able to love and defend br the poems for the br women and children and land br Grant me the talent to make br The poems that they may still br Recite and remember br Even when I am gone br In my weakness as a poet br Make me strong br To scorn the poems that are not pure br To shy away from the fires br And flames that do not light br The lives of other men br And women too.br br RIC S.