Church attendance is up—

the parking lot is packed.

People wait with anxious faces,

day-worn and dreary in the early evening cold,

eager to receive the warm comfort

of a meal they didn’t make,

a bit of tender nourishment

amidst the hectic rush

and flow of pandemic worries…

I watch them as I walk by to pick up my daughter from ballet,

these people united though apart,

their cars waiting in line

at Church’s Chicken.