CROSSES

I come from centuries of Puritan
Suspicions of aged, rigid, ritual gestures–
The sign of the cross, the hand to brow then chest,
Then left to right, to remember the God-man

Killed, a crucifixion; For us a nod
To live the sacrificial life. But the four
Directions, cardinal compass points are more
Important. Standing the upward beam links God

To earth; transversely, man to man. But lying
Down, a far more ancient worship starts.
I mark the world’s core, and from my heart
Flow north and south, east and west. Not mine

Alone: I’m central, but so are all my brothers
And sisters. All are one in one another.

(61, October 26, 1992)

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Comments

I was raised in the Congregational Church, which I later learned was a radical wing of the Puritans. Dad was a lay minister for years after retiring from teaching. He also married hundreds of couples and conducted funeral services for few people. My Dad’s grandfather was minister of the church we prayed in.