Balcony Pews
I tell a new friend of my history—
how God raised me a skeptic,
when he welcomed me home
twice on Sunday, and once mid-week
I think of the boy
with the guitar, unkempt curls driving
preacher’s daughter wild
she shared my heart for mischief;
we led a village safe for doubts
shaggy soccer star
still appears in my dreams,
twenty year memory
of young love unrequited,
handwritten notes
on worn worship programs
next to doodles by attentionless artists
music we were banned from,
in the back of our minds
drowned out by the organ wailing,
hymns mumbled together,
pretending we were too cool
to sing.
I lost my religion
and first learned community
in a group of youths
looking down
from old balcony pews.
15 thoughts on "Balcony Pews"
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Nice!
Thank you, Kevin! Hope to see you at Kenwick! <3
awwwwwwwwwwww
Heheheh ~mysterious new friend~
love the interplay of church choir balcony and young romance. the ending clinches the picture so well
Rhythm and lyricism fully appreciated when read aloud. Well done
Thank you very much, I appreciate the feedback! 😀
“I think of the boy
with the guitar, unkempt curls driving
preacher’s daughter wild”
I wanna know more about the “shaggy soccer star” too.
Loved this. Great to read you here Sarah.
Thank you, Fanny! There were so many features of this group of people that helped me grow confidently through some of the most awkward years – the guitar player and soccer star were two different boys who always seemed “so cool” to the rest of us, ha!
It does being to mind how the things that drive people together can easily drive them apart. There can be comfort in the moment and routines even though the takeaway isn’t what the people setting that routine probably hoped for.
Absolutely, nailed it! I was hoping to convey that sense of community that can come from shared religion, but in the end, the whole “purpose” of what brought us together in the first place (shared “worship”) was really more of a facade hiding that we all just needed connection.
Loving the alliteration – “shaggy soccer star” and “worn worship”! And the sound play, you know I am ~hear~ for it.
Thank you, thank you, my friend <3 🙂
This is awesome. My favorite line: “we led a village safe for doubts”
Thank you, H.A.! I was thinking I may adjust “doubts” to “doubters”, but we will see 🙂 Trying to not be a perfectionist during LexPoMo has been my biggest challenge so far, haha!