Thursday, September 18, 2008

Prayer Rock Part Three

When cleaning up this morning, I found the following little poem that, I assume, was given to Sam with his prayer rock:


to translate becuz the image is fuzzy:

I'm your little prayer rock and this is what I'll do
Just put me on your pillow till the day is through
Then turn back the covers and climb into your bed
and WHACK... your little prayer rock with hit you on your head.
Then you will remember as the day is through
To kneel and say your prayers as you wanted to,
Then when you are finished just dump me on the floor,
I'll stay there through the night-time to give you help once more.
When you get up the next morning CLUNK... I stub your toe
So you will remember your prayers before you go.
Put me back upon your pillow when your bed is made,
And your clever little prayer rock will continue in your aid.
Because your heavenly Father cares and loves you so,
He wants you to remember to talk to him... you know.

Here's what I have to say:

1) Creep. E.
2) Sam's version was actually amazingly close.
3) Is anyone else disturbed by how the poem is both violent and singsongy all at once?
4) And why does God sound so mean? Almost gleeful to punish you when you forget to pray?
5) And don't get me started on the rhyme scheme.

I think I actually had a prayer rock as a little kid. I don't remember having the creepy poem to go with it, though. Fascinating.

3 comments:

chedner said...

So, I've done some research, and apparently the concept of a prayer rock originated with the brother of Jared.

One of the rocks touched by God was imbued with a special luminance. It was instructed that this rock, Tahlona, be a reminder of prayer -- coming to the Lord in times of darkness and uncertainty.

It turned out, however, that the Tahlona was sufficiently bright as to keep a man named Aggoni (who shared the same vessel as Jared and Jared's brother) from falling asleep.

One night, Aggoni took the prayer rock and hid it under his pillow. However, as the vessel was tossed around by the ocean, Aggoni's head was violently and repeatedly thrown against the Tahlona. In a fit of pain, Aggoni threw the Tahlona to the ground.

Aggoni then attempted to sleep with his pillow over his eyes. However, the Tahlona's light grew even brighter and permeated even through the pillow.

Of course, this infuriated the concussioned [sic] and fatigued Aggoni who jumped out of his bed and angrily kicked the Tahlona. The Tahlona did not move, and Aggoni broke his entire foot.

While Aggoni was stumbling around and cursing God, a great wave flipped the brother of Jared's vessel upside down, throwing Aggoni out of one of the hatches (which was, at the time, opened to refresh the air within the vessel) and into the hungry ocean.


The poem posted in this post is actually inherited from the rhyme the children of that time sung. The original was more in mock of Aggoni; however, when the Catholics started their crusade here in the Americas -- you know, when they forced Catholicism upon as many Native Americans as they possibly could -- they took this rhyme, changed it, and used it to teach fear of God (as well as the concept of prayer).

SWILUA said...

dude.

Anonymous said...

Wow, thanks for the laugh! That is pretty odd and kind of sadistic.