next year

for the first time
in my life
i wanted to say
grace before
shoveling my
mouth before
food

grace for the land
grace for morality
grace for our time left
grace for no more waste
grace for the untapped center
grace for our monopolized eyes
grace for heaven's ashen surprise
grace for uninterrupted troubling
grace for the eradication of ignorance

grace that maybe next year
we'll set out one more plate