Poetry of Prayer

I lost count of the number of churches
I’ve visited in Italy, the way one goes
to museums to view the art.
But this church, this cathedral—
On Saturday night in Acquaviva,
every pew was filled
and no one held a camera.

The air inside the church felt charged,
not with outward seeing,
but with looking inward,
with human hunger for spirit food.
On Saturday night in Acquaviva
it seemed the pews of praying people
exhaled their needs as one.

A comfort came to me,
not of religion but of earnestness.
That human longing could lift us
into union with one another,
that sanctuary may again
be found in coming together
to share the poetry of prayer.

©Susa Silvermarie 2019