POEM FOR PEOPLE WHO SAY THEY DON’T PRAY (2022, Edition of 1)
Original poem written by Nicole Tallman and visually interpreted by Ameni, an artist and curator who recently completed a master’s at University College London in Museum and Gallery Practice. She is passionate about art, history, anthropology, and sociology, with a keen interest in colonial heritage and processes of decolonization.
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Poem for People Who Say They Don’t Pray
If you write, you pray.
I write to the light of the candle.
I walk with the moon at the end of the day.
Walking is a prayer.
I repeat: anaphora.
I chant: Oṃ maṇi padme hūṃ.
I say: Santa María, Madre de Dios.
I write.
I walk.
I pray.
I burn incense for you.
Frankincense. Violet. Rose. Myrrh.
I pray.
I drink wine.
Prisoner: Red Zin and Rombauer Chardonnay.
I pray.
I write.
I walk.
I say your name.
You don’t answer.
I write.
I walk.
I drink.
I burn.
I chant.
I hope.
I pray.