Learning to Pray [a #poem]

Learning to Pray [a #poem] 
© Rabbi Menachem Creditor 

I had no idea
what any of this held. 
Oh, I've said, recited, taught,
but never understood.
Now I know.

The words are redundant,
I had thought,
melodies exchangeable.
But they're not.
Now I know.

An attuned heart, wounded enough to hear, strong enough to endure - and the raw sounds raw souls produce - all these are essential for opening one's whole self enough for God to find a home. Now I know.