Child In Church
by David Lee Garrison
The sanctuary sloped down
to the altar. I saw
a field of heads and then
the haloed head of Jesus
kneeling at Gethsemane.
Pews were the dark red
of his blood;the organ swell
was his breath and heartbeat;
the cross, his skeleton.
We whispered the letter "s"-
forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those
who trespass against us-
as if we knew one letter
of the sacred alphabet,
one sound we chanted,
calling to the others.
