Gioia has explicitly stated that he wrote “Prayer” in memory of his infant son Michael Jasper, who died of sudden infant death syndrome in 1987 (See: Further Reading & Resources). The poem is autobiographical in nature but can describe more universal feelings of loss as well. The lyric poem mostly expresses the speaker’s contemplations of the spiritual force that oversees the world. Its conclusion contains a plea for that force to aid the speaker during their grief by securing the safety of the beloved—"him” (Line 14)—in the afterlife.

The speaker addresses the force that took their deceased loved one from them, whether it be a “deity or thief” (Line 10), God or a personification of death. This all-powerful entity controls time, nature, who lives or dies, and the afterlife. The first stanza’s images center on time and emptiness, perhaps suggesting the longevity of grief. The first line’s image “Echo of the clocktower” suggests the ring of a bell heard by all, as most clocktowers loom over a large portion of the town. In past centuries, bells were used to signify the loss of a significant person. The awareness of the clocktower also suggests the passage of time and symbolizes mortality.