I prayed until I broke my hands
My fingers snapped like celery
Then shot away like rubber bands
To rest in shrines too dark to see

I prayed until I broke my knees
The joints exploded like a war
Becoming dustcloud memories
Of places I had been before

I prayed until my eyes were crushed
Beneath their unrelenting lids
They flowed like nectar being flushed
Away the way dismay forbids

I prayed until my words went numb
Intoxicated by the sound
I watched and let each one succumb
Then left their bodies strewn around

I prayed until I broke my faith
With each impacted shattered word
But hammered blows cannot erase
The wretched hope of being heard