On The Structure Of Prayer

I sometimes worry that I try too hard
to organise or plan my life of prayer,
to go against my nature, disregard
my instincts, stifle that creative flair
in search of rules that help others be free
but leave a lingering taste of guilt for me.
But then, when I reflect again upon it
I start to wonder if I’ve got it wrong.
Is it like the structure of a sonnet
or the chord progression of a song
Which hold within them endless permutation,
making space for joyful improvisation.
Construction not constriction, comes with seeing
prayer, not as what we do,
but rather as a way of being.

(c) Rich Clarkson, April 2024