The Citizen's Prayer

The Prayer

Let me keep what is mine to keep,
and covet nothing held by another.
Let my word, once signed, be stone;
let my witness fall only on the truthful.
Grant me patience with the new citizen,
honesty in the open market,
and courage when the vote is close.
May I leave the record cleaner than I found it,
the treasury fuller, the Republic larger —
and my keys, at the end as at the beginning,
in no hands but my own.

Usage

The Citizen's Prayer is secular and optional. It is customarily read aloud before embassy assemblies and privately before a citizen casts a difficult vote. It confers no standing and is required for none.