How to Pray

Attune your ears to the murmurs
of bugs and birds, whispers
of seeds carried on the breeze.
Place your hands either side
of the dog’s warm head,
breathe with its animal body.
Let your feet guide the way
each day, while trees
track seasons.
Remind your body how it says yes
to blossom, fruit, release, and rest,
each its own kind of prayer.
Notice how you tremble
at seeing the moon hover,
as you steep in its opal glow,
knowing your prayer is sometimes
a quiet longing in darkness,
some nights a long howl.

“How to Pray” from Love Holds You: Poems and Devotions for Times of Uncertainty by Christine Valters Paintner. Copyright © 2023 by Christine Vaultners Paintner. Used by permission of Paraclete Press. www.paracletepress.com