And Still I Pray Poem by Jim Yerman

When I was young I attended Catholic school...but while there along the way
My God was stolen from me, yet for some reason...I still pray?

I see religions fostering hostility and no longer am I awed
As I watch people hate, maim and kill each other all in the name of god..and still I pray.

I see a disturbed young boy murder people because he couldn't get a date
I see how guns in the wrong hands can wreak havoc & devastate..and still I pray

I see priests molesting children, I see protests in Iran
I see a family stone their daughter to death in nearby Pakistan...and still I pray

I see children, young girls, kidnapped and the only reason...they attended school
I see people all across the globe who are mocked and ridiculed...and still I pray.

I see countries going to war whose arsenals of death each day increase
Who continue to believe after all this time that war can lead to peace...and still I pray.

I see people destroying or polluting many of our resources here on Earth
Who forget, or worse don't care about its value or its worth..and still I pray.

I see bullying so pervasive it's causing suicides
I see dictators abolishing human rights, I see massacres and genocides...and still I pray

For beneath this shroud of sorrow, in a world that's tearing itself apart
I see many people who prove our world still has honor...still has heart.

There is a constant struggle between good and evil and though evil gets more press
Perhaps as each new month begins we need to reassess.

Evilness is more pervasive, more obvious...it's a more visible paradigm
Goodness is more subtle, more inconspicuous and takes a little time.

If you're keeping score between good & evil and what people of the world are choosing
I can't be sure, but I think right now, it's goodness that is losing.

But perhaps one day goodness will prevail...yes...perhaps one day...
Hoping good will overwhelm the bad...ah...perhaps that's why I pray.