A prayer of an urban dweller

May I not be a stranger

to the people and

the fields that feed me

May I not get too far

body and mind

from the soil and

the elements and

all the rough

realities

that sustain me

May I be granted

work that is physical

and allows me

contact

with the natural world

May I eat what

I know from the

hands I’ve held

May I not forget

among the cement

my neighbour’s name

and familiarity that

births care

May I not lose a sense

of deep gratitude and resist

the illusion

that what nourishes me appears

without effort and should

be easy and cheap to get

May I put roots

next to the beautiful

meadows and

trees

May it be so one day

and now

and now

amen