An Artist’s Prayer

An Artist’s Prayer
by Aliakai

Oh Twelve Muses,
Three Titans, older than Time
Nine Daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne,
I have failed you.
Yet you have not given up on me.
You still whispered inspiration in my ear
At the height of my anger and pain
And when I cried out in fear and rage
You filled my heart with comfort and hope.
Muses, I am grateful.
I am grateful and ashamed,
For I have allowed the illness of my body
To infect my mind and spirit,
For fear and procrastination to get in the way
Of the amazing images and words
You gift me every day.
No more.

Muses, I cry out to you now for new inspiration,
Not just for my work, which drives my life
But for the organizational tools I’m creating
To ensure I actually live it.
I ask for Your continued faith in me,
For in my heart I know first I am an Artist,
And only after a woman, a wife, a friend.
I pray for Your forgiveness and swear to You
That should I receive Your blessings and inspiration
I will create the courage to act on it
For the rest of my life.
My life belongs to You
And Your sacred work.
I would have it no other way,
And it is but foolishness in the guise of fear
That ever convinced me otherwise.