Covered

The call for twenty-four hour prayer went out
As I was baking a birthday cake,
Preparing to meet a guest for the first time,
Still recovering, interminably, from a cold and sore throat.
The idea of finding a half hour uninterrupted
Was beyond imagining.

A day later, I thought to check the prayer schedule
And there were no times that yet needed to be claimed.
And I could have cried in relief that this, too,
Was covered, that though I may be a derelict friend,
That God knows my frame, and that I could pray
As I go about my day, adding my prayers to the others.