Churches & Liquor Stores

As you drive through the bursting city,

pay attention to what lines the streets.

One after another, bright signs tempt wandering souls—

offering warmth, love and refuge.

 

One is a place of exaltation,

for those who prefer to drown their sorrows

in a bottle of dry red wine,

or a few too many shots of tequila.

 

The other is a home for outcasts alike—

a space where all can congregate

to pray and to sing,

in a similar quest for the sublime.

 

The automatic chime of the glass door

sounds a little like the ringing of church bells,

as well-worn men and women rush in

after a long week of working 9 to 5’s.

 

Some spend years searching for the answer,

to decide if there’s more peace to be found

in a cheap bottle from the corner store

than in an organ-led church hymn.

 

More than a few folks frequent both—

though you quickly learn to keep your head down

in the scuffed aisles of the Wine & Spirits,

so the familiar faces won’t recognize you Sunday morning.

 

Whether you gather behind stained-glass windows

or stand alone in the light of flickering neon signs,

no absolute answer will ever be unearthed,

except for the one you make for yourself.

 

In the end, it’s up to you—

to accept this divine truth

or continue with that fruitless pursuit,

in your hallowed place of worship.