| Harriet Monroe, ed. (1860–1936). Poetry: A Magazine of Verse. 1912–22. | | | | Prayer | | By Jean O’Brien |
| | | MANY are the cries sent upward to God’s throne: | |
| The cry for justice comes out of the depths— | |
| The depths of woe; | |
| The cry for mercy from the depths of sin; | |
| And mothers of slain soldiers cry for courage— | 5 |
| Courage to bear the ills that go with life. | |
| The children pray with souls all innocent | |
| (Yet mindful of each little trespass wrought) | |
| They pray for a pure heart; and soldiers pray | |
| That God may save their dear ones from war’s plagues; | 10 |
| And beggars pray for bread, or pleasant weather. | |
| But from the high, high places of the world, | |
| The prayer, when prayer there is, is all for power— | |
| Power and glory, and honor—forever: nothing more. | | | | |
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