ALS NaPoWriMo Day 13: Write a poem about any traditions you have, and whether or not you’re attached to them.

 

Poem: The Tradition of Prayer

 

Between the world of “shoulds” and “shouldn’ts”

I grew up observing a plethora of traditions
Some I followed

Others I evaded

That’s how the tradition of traditions percolated

 

 

The questions of the logical mind disobeyed a few

The dissonance of the heart rejected some, too

The inconvenience of the rules made some unacceptable

The boundaries quite high to dare to climb up

Gradually, the traditions started slipping away

 

 

What stayed with me was the tradition of praying–

Being grateful for His plans and His infinite blessings,

Reading and following the scriptures,

Comprehending their inherent meaning–

A tradition that my body, mind and soul graciously accepted

 

 

The calmness it entailed

The stillness that it offered

Was beyond the confines of “shoulds” and “shouldn’ts”

A belief system it had become

The one that had me completely transformed

 

©Vandana Bhasin

13.04.2026