A Writer’s Prayer

This is not mine and I don’t know who to attribute it to. I keep a printout pinned to the noticeboard above my desk, as it makes me smile…and reminds me of the sins I could easily fall into!  

Dear Lord who art in heaven,

deliver us from cliches
and forgive us our non-sequiturs
as we forgive those who can’t use apostrophes, commas or colons.

Deliver us from the evils of waffle,
and lead us not into the temptation of switching tenses
for no apparent reason.

For thine is the adverb (but only when really necessary),
the punctuation (always correct),
and the glossary,

forever and ever.