Praying the Rosary

Taking my worn rosary between my fingers, Tonight I prayed the Hail Mary ten or twenty times. Though my sinfulness had made me deeply sad, I just knelt like a boy before his mother, My hands clasped, my eyes wet with tears. "Pray for us, poor sinners," I repeated, And I felt peace flood into my heart. I believe in him, I place my hope in God, knowing that he Is a forgiving master, kind, merciful and fatherly. Yet, seated on his eternal throne, he is also my judge, And, when I think of my life, I seem to tremble At my uncleanliness and guilt. Ah, but the Good Virgin is here, and she will defend me.