in church


Attempt

At church it was announced
Someone tried to kill
Donald Trump

It happened in Butler
And I don’t know the circumstances
Though I know Butler
A small town
Up Route 8 from where I used to live

Go through town
Turn left
Go on to school
From there

A smallish town
It was
And I don’t know how it is
Today
My being some hundreds of miles
Away
(not having gone back
in years)

Once my team and I
Played on the radio
There
Sang and taught some
Gospel

Parochial
Some would say
American
An easy place to hold a rally
Until yesterday

I could wish him to drop out
(I have wished)
But
Never
Never
Never
In this way

(and he won’t)
And someone died
Someone else died in the attempt
Then (also) the shooter
Others hurt
While so many of us feel wounded
This morning
In church
And in the nation

After the announcement
The Doxology was
Sung
A song of faith
As are all songs of service

Sung
In parts
In harmony
In earnest

C L Couch


Photo by Josh Eckstein on Unsplash

in church

I tuned in
they don’t know I’m here
but the God of electrons
which is too small
too residual
for that
to make a difference
to me
except now when I’m thinking of
electrons
and God

c l couch

photo by Ronaldo de Oliveira on Unsplash
on line, online—get it?