Silver Nails
July 5, 2023Passers-By
July 5, 2023Prayers of Steel
Lay me on an anvil, O God.
Beat me and hammer me into a crowbar.
Let me pry loose old walls.
Let me lift and loosen old foundations.
Lay me on an anvil, O God.
Beat me and hammer me into a steel spike.
Drive me into the girders that hold a skyscraper together.
Take red-hot rivets and fasten me into the central girders.
Let me be the great nail holding a skyscraper through blue nights into white stars.
Carl Sandburg
Carl Sandburg (1878-1967) was an American poet and writer known for his works on American culture and history. He wrote several volumes of poetry, including "Chicago Poems" and "The People, Yes," and also authored the landmark biography of Abraham Lincoln, "Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years."