For such greatness can not be named

Out of divine love and opportunity, __________,

who has established a series of intricate paths

within its unfathomable universe leading to

destinations which will be reached only

by the ultimate decisions of its voyagers,

protect Austin Bernard Chillman of Plainfield, Illinois,

born in Oak Lawn, Illinois;

son of Peter Julian Chillman and Karen Marie Wagner Chillman;

brother of Zachary William and Drake Julian;

who is of German and Polish heritage but American by birth;

caretaker of the unfathomably exasperating but infinitely lovable cats Cookie and Niblet;

performer of music, competitor on the field;

who is forever devoted towards the needs of others.

__________, protect Austin Bernard Chillman from the evils of the hallways,

the Sposchubullys, tormentors of massive size and barbed tongue,

who with their cruel intentions and position of no envy

press the buttons of a manic depressive,

and in those times most trying,

grant him the ability to react in best of manners

at a speed more swift than water moves in the Mississippi.

And, __________, protect hermano from the misfortune of multiple surgeries

on his weakened left acromioclavicular joint.

Allow him to share others the weight of the world

that he is so willing to bear on his lonesome.

Grant him the ability to put his pride to rest,

to know that the burden of his world

isn’t one that he has to endure alone.

__________, allow Austin Bernard Chillman’s personality to blossom

in the pile of crap that is suburban adolescence;

though resources and nutrients are plenty—

full of toxins that can corrupt the blooming

of a character that should be known

for his tenderness and humilty,

humor and honesty,

genius and madness that;

and these traits should be showered down upon all those that surround him,

saturating the minds of those with lesser intentions,

quenching the thirsts of those with fewer resources,

and aiding those already on a path to greater good

__________, give him comfort and assurance to ward off Thi’ef of Zees,

who comes in the night and robs innocent of their dreams,

aspirations, sound rest and relaxation,

and clear mind, for the addition of insomnia

to a history of emotional difficulty

is not a bit of medicinal arithmetic

that I believe hermano is prepared to embattle

given his young age.

Forget not, __________, to protect hermano from the carpal tunnel

that his predecessors have suffered from.

Let his wrists be tough,

able to endure constant writing,

so that he can maybe one day produce

a rockabilly tour de force that it is so exquisite

that critics and award voters will rejoice alike.

__________, keep him out of the direct path of the Flaherty demon dog,

who’s name I know not,

for it is the very essence of evil,

squatting on all lawns and littering

them with the vile secretions from its body.

And let Austin Bernard Chillman be spared the fate of Gishlink, __________,

for his name deserves to be kept in books somewhere,

as a permanent memory for the world to have,

for once we are gone,

all we become are a bit of history;

a story to be told by someone else;

a fable.

Bestow your protection upon the third son of Peter and Karen,

__________, from the excruciating pain that the Indonesian man

Dede has endured; protect him from the tree

which has bred with the human papillomavirus,

father and mother of the dendropapillomavirus;

thwart its attempts to turn hermano’s feet to roots,

anchoring him into suburbia soil for the remainder of his life;

let his life be like that of the palm in the flower pot:

clean and free to move from place to place at the will of world.

And keep the near resident of Chicago,

the windiest of cities,

with the broadest of shoulders,

and that bears the name of another state,

away from the Cheeseheads, __________,

with their terrible dairy breath

and awful opinions of people from real states,

for they can’t drive.

Shield the younger brother of Zachary and Drake, __________,

for the looming crisis that the use of antibiotics has created

in the farming industry;

protect him from the introduction to unnecessary antibiotics

to his system, which in turn make him more susceptible

to the common disease being fatal.

And do not grant hermano the fate of the Asian Elephant, __________,

for if there were to be no immediate threat

to his well being there would be no external force

pushing him to evolve in some way,

he would no longer be the progressive

person that he currently is.

Keep him, __________, from being to serious,

from not allowing himself to get in the gobblygook,

not allowing himself to get be a little sideways

and crisscrossed

back

wards

wild

zany

crazy

too sur-e-us;

let him be himself in all his weirdness,

let his restraints be loosened in a way

so that he never stops being hermano.

__________, give your protection over Austin,

lover of sound and song,

from the evils that can turn his love to hate,

grant him the strength to overcome the criticism,

to persevere in the face of adversity,

and to always sing and play with his heart.

__________, hermano needs your protection from atrophy,

the rotting of brain,

the weakening of body,

the decomposition of thought,

the breakdown of love,

the failure of caring,

the disappointment of life.

Give him your protection from the hardships

that we face throughout our lives;

give him a shield that allows him to see these experiences,

but not bring him to the point that he wants to quit.

Most of all, __________, protect all of the beings within

this celebrated universe be protected from these misfortunes,

but for if some find themselves in dark places,

don’t remove our free will,

for out of darkness can come light.