beginnings


church seasons
Sunday after
Easter

it will be Easter now
Easter season
for a while

up to Pentecost
the appearance of the Holy Spirit
in

fire and languages
and often thought of
as

a birthdate
for the church
from

then on
there were martyrs
also miracles

and formations
and also
debates

fighting over Antioch
or Jerusalem
and whether or not

to let the Gentiles
in
there would be conversions

teaching
sometimes with warnings
and final prophecies

to warn us
yes
more so

to encourage us
and love us with
hope

there is discipline
and code
baptisms

dedications
confirmation
the faith

begins
for good or ill
for good and ill

the Christian church
belief is risk
it always

has
a countercultural
element

choose
to be comfortable
to wear a mask

to believe
and act
and take a chance


c l couch


originally, the poem was not in triplets; but as I looked at what was the last stanza (six lines), I realized that it could and maybe should be made two stanzas of three lines each; then I went back (up) to revise the rest accordingly; I had one line at the top, remaining; I added in what was the title and subtitle to make the first stanza of three lines, then added a new title; sometimes the form comes first; this time it was more or less last

photo by Greg Rosenke on Unsplash