Prayer Poem by Daniel Trevelyn Joseph

I sought pain, planned to look at it,
Bear it, get used to it, wear it lightly
As part of my preparation for old age.

The body obliges, pain occurs bringing
Wave after wave of attack; my look and focus
Cannot bear it, I dither and want to avoid it.

Difficult to be a hero: it calls for discipline
Of meditation on the void to fix attention
On the pain and pain alone, to conquer it.

My gaze is momentary, and then I withdraw
Into the shadows, to pray for relief from pain,
And stretch my hands for the painkillers.

I shall not give up, though.