We gathered for a session called Let America Be America, borrowing its name from Langston Hughes — a title that holds both a plea and an ache. We spent our time with the distance between what this country promises and what it delivers, and we did not try to close that distance with easy words.
We ended by praying. Not a prayer I wrote and handed out, but one we made together. Each person offered a line: something they longed for, something they hoped, something they could not stop wishing for this land.
What follows is all of it. Every verse came from someone in our circle. I have only braided the lines, so that the May and the I pray and the I hope pass the thread back and forth, the way they did that night.
May our country grow heart-sized — big enough to hold all of us, now and future;
I pray for peace, grace, goodness;
I hope that people will act from the good in their souls;
May our country live up to its own ideals.
I wish everyone who lives here could feel safe and included — and alive with possibilities;
I pray that all will see G-d in others;
May our country be on the path to sanity;
I hope apathy and despair sink below ground, out of reach, away.
May our country return to an ethical, honest, compassionate place;
I pray we can learn to listen to each other with an open mind and heart;
May our country be safe, fair, compassionate, free;
I pray for a country that values the contributions of all its people — without regard to race, color, religion, or gender.
I hope we can replace hate and contempt with love and respect;
I pray that the disenfranchised be embraced;
May we restore compassion, elevating cooperation, celebrating differences;
I hope that the needs of the needy will take a prominent place in the values of the countries of the world.
May our country come back from tyranny and this economic and political nightmare;
I pray for integrity within our political system;
I hope we find hope and a way out of this;
I pray that there is no voter suppression.
May our country be turned around to support our people and regain trust from the world;
I pray we fortify and uphold our constitution;
I pray for ethical, inspired leadership for this country and the rest of the world — peace!
May our country thrive, and its leaders become mighty warriors on behalf of all her people.
I pray that we find leaders who share these values;
I hope that America can return to its American dream for all of her inhabitants;
May our country remember that we started as a refuge for those seeking freedom of religion, freedom from tyranny;
May our country recognize the gift that our different cultures provide to the whole.
I pray that we institute offerings to teach and learn about the different ways cultures and ethnicities approach life and values — this influence can enhance all of our lives;
I wish for people to recognize the beauty in each other: talents, gifts, all of it.
I hope for peace among and between people — to recognize how the success of others is our success too, just as the hurt others endure is our hurt too;
I pray for peace — internally, within our nation, and throughout the world.
I hope that all who are suffering find comfort;
I hope for compassion, peace, and healing;
I pray that we can become more united as a people sharing this land, and work toward justice, equality, and prosperity for all;
May our country be an active listener who has 20/20 vision, and for whom hope is an action verb.
I pray for a collaborative, colorful, and compassionate community whose covenant promises a brave responsibility to each other;
I hope my children and grandkids are able to grow up with freedom, opportunity, love, family, compassion;
I pray that everyone wakes up each morning with a vision of one thing they can become that day;
May our country more fully embody its many strengths and realize its lofty promises.
May we have the courage, clarity, and purpose to actively be co-creators — today, and for the generations to come.
Amen.
Read it slowly. Read it aloud if you can — it was built out of voices and it wants to be spoken.
And if your line is missing, add it. Tell me in the comments what you pray for this country. A prayer like this one is never quite finished.
Love this!!! Sorry I missed it but was not well to attend. Great idea writing a group poem!❤️