Prayer for the children of longing

Question 1

Contrast

Answer 1

“Great tree from the far northern forest still rich with sap” vs dead youth
“Snow’s breathless quiet” vs “The scream, the siren, the knock on the door”
Life in darkness vs “Under the starlight, under the moonlight. in the light of this tree”

Question 2

Forever in their hearts

Answer 2

“Here at the heart of winter, here at the heart of the city” x2

Question 3

Prayer

Answer 3

“Grant us the clarity of ice”
“Grant us the forest’s silence”
“In that silence let us hear”
“Let their names be the holiest prayer”

Question 4

Wish for ice

Answer 4

“Grant us the clarity of ice, the comfort of snow” “For one moment to freeze”

Question 5

The trauma

Answer 5

“The scream, the siren the knock on the door, the needle in it’s track, the knife in the back”

Question 6

Streets personified - endangers them

Answer 6

“The streets that defeated them, the streets that brought them to their knees”
“The streets that blew their minds, that led them astray, out of reach of our saving”

Question 7

Streets let them down but were still their home

Answer 7

“That promised them everything, that delivered nothing”
“The streets that broke their backs, the streets we brought them home too”