I Went To Church Today Poem by RIC BASTASA

i went to church today
and as it is customary
at dawn
a sacrifice so to say
for advent's sake

i join in the singing of
the hymns
i sit and stand and kneel
i recite my prayers
on paper
i look at the pulpit
and listen to the
priest saying the homily
i sit and stand and kneel

i look around the corners
i follow the lines of the pillars
i look at the center of this
church majestic in its
art and architecture
i look at the corners
and at the seats filled with
my own people

i was looking for the face
of God
his shadow even
is not there anymore.