The Strait of Hormuz

I am so tired of hearing about 

The Strait of Hormuz 

So tired of

The unplanned tantrums and 

War and rumours of war.

Please God, I think 

Let me hear about the Bay of Fundy instead

- my own slice of grey-blue ocean, rising and falling against my own coast -

And then I remember the last time I heard about the Bay of Fundy on the news

Six years ago 

And I choke my prayer back before it hits the ceiling.

I pray instead that I will no longer need to hear about

The Strait of Hormuz 

Or the Bay of Fundy 

Or Uvalde

Or 62 million 

Or the Epstein Files 

Or any other of the seemingly limitless ways 

Humans have found to hold the helpless hostage.

I fall back on the small prayer I whisper over my children as they fall asleep:

Help us love our neighbours as ourselves.

God have mercy.