Prayer for Men Learning Tenderness
Original EveryPoem Studio house-voice poem.
God of strength that does not bruise,
teach us the courage of a gentle answer,
the discipline of listening fully,
the honesty of asking for help.
Where we inherited silence,
give us truthful words.
Where anger became our only language,
give us more than one voice.
Let tenderness be neither performance
nor shame,
but practiced care:
a hand steady at the hospital,
a promise kept,
a child safe enough to cry.
71 words · 14 lines · Free Verse