A PRAYER FOR WEARING A MASK Each time we put on a mask, May it be an invitation to remembrance, A communal call to pause and grieve All those we have lost, A number so high it defies imagination. Apart though we are and must be, May we recognize that we are linked, All of us held together by these bits of fabric and elastic, Stitched into a beautiful quilt of shared humanity Wrapping all the way around the globe. To put on a mask is to light a candle, And may our light be bright indeed, Bright enough to comfort us in our mourning, Bright enough to dare us to hope That our love will lead us to a better future. Amen. ~Cameron Bellm (Twenty-Third Publications www.bayardfaithresources.com)