"thoughts and prayers"

in ugly times,
don't be facile
with your prayers.
be willing to look
a little deeper
into the murky under layers
of what went wrong.
prayer, by the way, isn't only meant
to be a solace or a sop
a way to make your sorrows
or discomfort stop---no,
it is a heart-cry to all that is,
a rending hope for better,
and a promise to make
things so...
the gods most smile on those
who feel another's pain
and also work
to see it not occur again.