LOUD WHISPERS: A Prayer For My Country

Every year, at this time, I say a prayer

As my country marks another year of independence

I say a prayer of hope

As I flip through newspapers, switch channels

And read one WhatsApp post and Facebook rant after the other

Sometimes unable to discern fact from fiction

Real news from fake

Almost all bearing tales of woe, gloom, disaster and score settling

I say a prayer for peace

I say a prayer for moderation

I beseech God for grace

As I come across news of the husband of a great woman

Gunned down and left to die in a pool of his blood

While heartless souls recorded his dying gasps

I pray for forgiveness for the unforgiveable

As I attend one memorial after the other for young men and women

Who have left us too soon

I pray that their souls will find eternal peace

And that those they have left behind will be comforted

As our founding fathers and mothers roll in their graves

Shuddering in disappointment and boiling with anger

I say a prayer for wisdom

As the sacrifices of those who paved the way keep slipping away from our history books

I say a prayer for memory

As my country celebrates three score years plus one of freedom from colonial masters

I say one prayer of thanks to those who gave all they had to make this nation great

And I say another to ask for forgiveness on behalf of those who bring shame and dishonor to the land

As our rains get heavier, and the floods keep coming

I pray that it is only our sins that are washed away

and not our children, homes and farms

As one more year passes by

And our leaders gather to recite all the right things in all the right places

I pray for the will to right all wrongs

And the courage to save this great nation from chaos

As we celebrate another year of freedom

I pray that God will weaken the arms of those who beat the drums of war

I pray that predators who bring sorrow and pain to others will be judged harshly

In this life and the next

I pray for justice

I pray for the voiceless and powerless

I pray for a spirit of humility

I pray for calmness

I pray for good health to all

I pray for prosperity

I pray for the success of our children

And I pray that we are all here when the next year rolls by.

Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi is a Gender Specialist, Social Entrepreneur and Writer. She is the Founder of Abovewhispers.com, an online community for women. She is the First Lady of Ekiti State, and she can be reached at BAF@abovewhispers.com