the exigencies of prayer

Ants and Whales

when he said ''lift up your hearts''
was that not simply a call 

to higher consciousness?
perhaps to a higher vibration, 

setting us apart as human beings?

a little higher than the intrepid ants,
a little more than keening whales?

animals live their wild natural truths

in savage harmony with the cosmos.
we wise beings strut and blame and wonder,

conjuring rules for prayer.

we are not dissimilar to

those we disdain.
we have ant moments
trudging our lines in the queue,

living small in tiny steps 

getting over and through the hard hours.

and we have whale moments
living large in earnest conversation
casting about in our watery bellowing ...

singing ourselves home.