Prayer

God, though this life is but a wraith,

Although we know not what we use,

Although we grope with little faith,

Give me the heart to fight -- and lose.

Ever insurgent let me be,

Make me more daring than devout;

From sleek contentment keep me free,

And fill me with a buoyant doubt.

Open my eyes to visions girt

With beauty, and with wonder lit --

But always let me see the dirt,

And all that spawn and die in it.

Open my ears to music; let

Me thrill with Spring's first flutes and drums --

But never let me dare forget

The bitter ballads of the slums.

From compromise and things half done,

Keep me with stern and stubborn pride;

And when at last the fight is won,

God, keep me still unsatisfied.