Poetry Unbound Kevin Hart — Prayer
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Feb 13, 2026 A meditation on Kevin Hart’s poem “Prayer” that lingers on sensual language and repeated invitations to come. Explores strange reasons for prayer, candid liturgical language, and the poem’s ache of desire. Considers nature’s role, who is being addressed, and the double meaning of longing. Ends with a full reading of the poem.
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Gifted Poem Moment
- Pádraig Ó Tuama recounts receiving a book from Michelle Trebilko after a reading in Australia.
- She opened it to Kevin Hart's poem and gave it to him, saying, "that book's yours now."
Prayer As Asking And Yearning
- Pádraig reflects that 'prayer' etymologically means to ask and reads Kevin Hart's poem as multiple summonses.
- The poem's repeated 'come' frames desire as a form of prayer addressing an undefined 'you.'
Honest Prayer In A Service
- Pádraig shares a memory of a woman at a London service who prayed honestly about her hate.
- He was arrested by the clarity and plainness of her language and often recalls it when reading Kevin Hart's poem.