Prayer Poem: Love, Hope, and Protection

Dear Lord, I am not cut from the cloth or the cloister, A priest, a pastor, a preacher, monk or nun, I am not, The bread or wine set on my table are, like me, only their humble selves; my water blesses only the dryness of my tongue. I pray that you'll forgive me for these trespasses, for the rest of the sins that fall from my head like obfuscating locks of hair And for the presumptuousness inherent in this post script of mine to the quite perfect Lord's Prayer... But I humbly make my requests known to your infinite mercy with a few of the following words... Grant me love in my life, or, grant me your presence always, for you are Love, the flaming heart which instructs my own. Teach mine to beat for myself and more than myself, for everyone, to me known and unknown, neighbor and stranger, lover and foe. Bequeath me hope, which only from you flows, to light my way through long nights and long shadows thrown. And lastly, gift me your protection from life's bright dangers and sinful, slimy things, from the dangers of the road, and the dangers that would intrude in my soul and my body, which I acknowledge are yours, your temple, our home.