The Many Amens

 

Medicine ball

Straining to be free
Harsh oxygen, bright light
Forehead at the knees
The Spellbound Amen
Seeps from the pores
Blankets the nurses
Contained by the doors

Hands in the air

Pushing praise, toes tappin’
Satin flashes, fixtures rattle
Swaying bodies, back slappin’
The Exuberant Amen
Joyful proclamations
Wooden pews shudder
With echoed affirmations

Deployment, diagnosis

Tests of fortitude
Poverty, persecution
Faith eludes or renews
The Let it Be Amen
On breath or song or vote
Across the paradigm of life
Unknown blessings float