Liturgy

The Negative Way

I once participated in liturgy. It was fun being there 

like going to the movies - in that mysterious world

beyond the rail - where priests spoke words in a language

I didn’t know… I daydreamed a lot.  

The smoke of incense delighted my nose, and the songs

delighted my ears as I listened to magic words purported

to do unnatural things to bread and wine, spoken by priests

and waited on by boys in laced smocks…I watched in awe.

The stained-glass windows and the incensed air made me

forget the grey reality of life outside.  Like going to the movies

and knowing it wasn’t real.  But it was wonderful to disconnect

and watch the show…I prayed some but did not grow.