Carrie Newcomer - A Shovel is a Prayer

A shovel is a prayer
To the farmer's foot
When he steps down
And the soft earth gives way
A baby is a prayer
When it's finally asleep
A whispered, “Amen”
At the end of the day

And a friend is a prayer
When they bring over soup
When they laugh at your jokes
And they don't ask for proof
It’s a song that you sing
When you are alone
When you're weary or lonely
Or that far from home

For all your searching
There’s nothing to do
What you've been looking for
Is looking for you

I'm the prodigal daughter
You're the dissonant son
We've been washed in rainwater
We're the fortunate ones
On the other side of midnight
Just before the dawn
You can feel it coming up
When the long night is done

It's as heavy as grief
And it's weightless as smoke
It's the dream you forgot
It's the letter you wrote
It's the first birds of morning
That sound like a hymn
Throw open the windows and
Let the light in

I'm a wayfaring stranger
You’re Indiana Jones
We are Gracie and George
We’re Watson and Holmes
The air is filled with angels
There’s no devil to outrun
Just sigh and kiss the ground
When the long night is done

It's a collar turned up
A kiss on the forehead
A string and two cans
It's the last thing you said
It's a hunch that you follow
A light in the dark
An idiot check

It's a balm for your heart
For all you searching
There’s nothing to do
What you've been looking for
Is looking for you