Prophecy by Pauli Murray


I was reminded yesterday of Pauli Murray and spent much of the day praying about her legacy. The first African American Woman to be ordained in the Episcopal church and one who so eloquently and persistently spoke truth to power, may she be my inspiration during these times. May ‘I seek only discovery of the illimitable heights and depths of my own being.’ May this seeking lead to a greater understanding of and caring for all creation.

PROPHECY by Pauli Murray
I sing of a new American
Separate from all others,
Yet enlarged and diminished by all others.
I am the child of kings and serfs, freemen and slaves,
Having neither superiors nor inferiors,
Progeny of all colors, all cultures, all systems, all beliefs.
I have been enslaved, yet my spirit is unbound.
I have been cast aside, but I sparkle in the darkness.
I have been slain but live on in the river of history.
I seek no conquest, no wealth, no power, no revenge:
I seek only discovery
Of the illimitable heights and depths of my own being.
Cambridge, 1969


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