Whatever fibers of good health
are left, cling to his head:
silver white against pale white skin.
His joints may hurt,
but he follows the common procedure:
Stand up, sit down, kneel.
Stand up, sit down, kneel.
And to make matters
worse, he has no one beside him, only
the edge of the old, oak pew
where he rests his aching right shoulder.
I may tap my brown boat shoes
feverishly if the man in the oversized
frock paces himself too slowly at the close,
or I may complain of shooting
fireworks in my tender right knee
during elongated expositions, but this man
still continues to
stand up, sit down, kneel
in the narrow, lonely pew,
and I know that I can no longer complain.
Alisa Zacharia | author
About this Author: Alisa is a student at the University of Maryland, College Park (Class of 2018) studying Economics and English. She is also a graduate of the Academy of the Holy Cross in Kensington (2014) and St. Joseph’s Catholic School in Beltsville (2010). Her home parish is St. Andrew Apostle in Silver Spring. In the past, she has worked with the Archdiocese of Washington Office of Young Adult Ministry and Evangelization and the Maryland Catholic Conference. Some of Alisa’s passions include following politics, cooking (and eating), reading, gardening, and enjoying quality time with friends. Fun fact: St. Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception, the first saint of Indian origin to be canonized by the Catholic Church, Alisa's second cousin twice removed.