A Modern Man’s Prayer to the Maria-Goddess

Version 1: The Lament

Oh sweet Maria, where have you gone?

You used to be right by my side,

Holding me when my worries fueled my actions,

And caused me pain.

I could rest my head in your lap,

And you would comfort me.

You used to nurture me with warm love,

Made me feel appreciated and cared for.

But now, I step outside my house,

And all I see are enemies.

Nowhere can I lay my troubled head

In the safety of your lap.

Why have you left me, Maria?

Was it because I put another man’s word over yours,

On how to treat you?

Was it because I saw you as an object,

And all your love and warmth as a means for trade?

Was it because I demanded you to be my servant,

Rather than my partner in life?

Was it because I did too little?

Was it because when you were hurt,

And I had sworn to protect you,

I failed and did nothing?

Did I let someone else harm you,

Because I was too scared, too much a coward?

Was it because we had a common enemy,

And instead of defending you,

I joined them?

Is this why you lost faith in me, Maria?

Is this why you have chosen to leave?

Oh Maria, divine mother, soft and strong,

I call to you in my sorrow, in my longing.

Once, your presence was my shelter,

Your voice the hymn that soothed my weary soul.

You cradled my burdens in tender arms,

And I, blind in my arrogance, let you fade.

Did I drive you away with my silence?

Did I forsake you when I should have stood?

Did I see you as lesser, as something to claim,

When you were always a light to be honored?

Maria, I see now—

It was never you who abandoned me,

But I who strayed from your grace,

Who traded love for conquest,

Who let my fears turn to cruelty,

Who let my brothers mock and wound you,

And called it fate instead of failure.

Now, in this world of steel and shadow,

Where every face is a foe,

And my hands tremble with regret,

I long to return to your lap,

To unburden myself of this armor,

And learn once more what it means to love,

Not as a master, but as a man reborn.

Oh Maria, will you hear my prayer?

Will you guide me back to your wisdom?

Or must I wander, lost,

Until I prove myself worthy once more?

Continue >> Version 2