BEADS WELL WORN
Beads well worn
with a thousand caresses
from hands scarred and aging.
Weathered from many seasons,
roughened from scorching days
of toil and labor—
clasped together in so many prayers
of hope through the long nights.
The rattle of beads mingles
with whispered litanies—
quiet mournful hymns
heard by no one
but the angels.
©Richard Keith Carlton
with a thousand caresses
from hands scarred and aging.
Weathered from many seasons,
roughened from scorching days
of toil and labor—
clasped together in so many prayers
of hope through the long nights.
The rattle of beads mingles
with whispered litanies—
quiet mournful hymns
heard by no one
but the angels.
©Richard Keith Carlton