{"id":218,"date":"2024-08-15T07:00:51","date_gmt":"2024-08-15T12:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/?p=218"},"modified":"2024-08-13T12:20:07","modified_gmt":"2024-08-13T17:20:07","slug":"a-prayer-for-the-lost","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/2024\/08\/15\/a-prayer-for-the-lost\/","title":{"rendered":"A Prayer for the Lost"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reflections on mercy in a time of strife. A prayer for souls whatever happens on this side of eternity. (This was supposed to go out on the 9th and for some reason didn’t.)<\/em><\/p>\n

Faltering souls lost in despair
\nWho no longer have the strength to strive
\nThe guilty and dark, chained by their deeds
\nWho cling to shattered lives.<\/p>\n

The wicked and bold who come to the end
\nAnd find they hold nothing but ash.
\nThe shallow mind who waffle and bend
\nAnd sell their souls for cash.<\/p>\n

The battered and bruised with no hope of light
\nWho drag their brothers down.
\nAnd the empty of heart who haunt the night
\nAnd inch by inch they drown.<\/p>\n

Let a small spark of hope, gentle and true,
\nSlip quietly through the dark
\nAnd find the souls that still can be saved
\nAnd make them hush and hark.<\/p>\n

A voice of truth can bring new life
\nThough breaking chains brings pain.
\nThe blackest soul who turns to the light
\nCan be made whole again.<\/p>\n

A Prayer for the Lost<\/em> copyright \u00a9 Heather Strickler 2024 all rights reserved<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Reflections on mercy in a time of strife. A prayer for souls whatever happens on this side of eternity. (This was supposed to go out on the 9th and for some reason didn’t.) Faltering souls lost in despair Who no longer have the strength to strive The guilty and dark, chained by their deeds Who… Read More A Prayer for the Lost<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":219,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-218","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Prayer-for-the-Lost.jpg?fit=600%2C600","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/parUcj-3w","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":533,"url":"http:\/\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/2026\/02\/20\/calling\/","url_meta":{"origin":218,"position":0},"title":"Calling","author":"Heather","date":"February 20, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Thinking through a scene in a story (way down the line) and this hit me. Struck me as something folk might find hopeful. Call the names lost in the night. Call the names back to the light. Call the names lost and alone. 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The first word spoken was a blade It cut the second and dawn was made In the rising light the truth unfurled Showing what became the world. A world of silence, no voice yet sang Where all creation\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Poetry"","block_context":{"text":"Poetry","link":"http:\/\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/category\/writing\/poetry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Blade-of-Dawn.jpg?fit=600%2C600&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Blade-of-Dawn.jpg?fit=600%2C600&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Blade-of-Dawn.jpg?fit=600%2C600&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":284,"url":"http:\/\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/2024\/10\/17\/ghosts\/","url_meta":{"origin":218,"position":3},"title":"Ghosts","author":"Heather","date":"October 17, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Perhaps appropriate to the season, it came from a comment somewhere \u201cthe ghosts were many that day.\u201d (I wish I could remember where.) The rest just flowed from that. The ghosts were many that bright fall day And many a spirit did slip away From all that may yet do\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Poetry"","block_context":{"text":"Poetry","link":"http:\/\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/category\/writing\/poetry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Ghosts.jpg?fit=600%2C600&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Ghosts.jpg?fit=600%2C600&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Ghosts.jpg?fit=600%2C600&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":109,"url":"http:\/\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/2020\/07\/23\/odds-ends-and-the-poetry-corner\/","url_meta":{"origin":218,"position":4},"title":"Odds Ends, and the Poetry Corner","author":"Heather","date":"July 23, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Since I seem to be waxing poetic lately, I thought I'd just start a poetry corner. 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