A Prayer for the New Year

I have been questioned
About my faith,
About my beliefs,
And about the audacity of my optimism
Which hangs on precariously,
Like the last leaf of autumn.

In a world shredding humanity
With seeming indifference by some,
In a climate crunch that screams for attention
Electric car owners can't resolve on their own,

I have been questioned,
Asked to defend
My elemental beliefs
About what I can't see
Or scientifically prove.

I imagine others wrestle with
The same elemental questions,
Why was I born?
What should I do with my life?
What happens to me after I die?

I struggle,
We struggle,
To right wrongs,
To rattle stereotypes,
To dismantle inequities,
To bend that arc.

Give us strength to fight,
Energy to persist,
Hope to fuel us,
Grit to guide us,
Texts to nourish us.

May we dive into the New Year
Not just with ready answers,
But with nuanced questions
That we must debate
For the sake of heaven.

Help us to lean in with questions,
To lean on each other
Within and outside our communities,
To impact global justice,
Individual rights
And positive change.