Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting Poem by Terry Collett

That Wednesday night
prayer meeting

with that old guy
with the glass eye

and Miss Trilde
who had that fixed smile

like the wind
had caught her

that way
and the other kids

there too
because their parents

thought it would give them
an idea of God

and maybe save
their souls although

they never said
that as such

and the organ
that small thing

stuck in the corner
out of tune

and you and Jimmy
and some other kid

would put in
your own words

to the overloud hymns
or Carmody would let off

foul wind
to match the organ

and there’d be a titter
of kid’s laughter

and the guy
with the glass eye

would peer out at you
with his good eye

and tut tut
while you looked

at the young girl
in front of you

with the cropped hair
and fat butt.