The nod
The handshake
The genuflection

A man with hate
Stained hands kneels
Beside a tear-soaked pew

The hush of downcast eyes
The consecrated vestments
The application of sacramental ointments

Butterflies flutter down
The aisle on nervous bride’s feet
Two families smile
On the outside

The throwing of rice
The sharing of food
The dancing       drinking

Cold solstice staggers in
A Yule tree cut and decked
At next equinox
Sheep are sheared

The labor        the sweat
The laundering of garments

A woman lies at hospital
Trying to deliver her firstborn child
For the second time

Her chosen deity says no
Again

The recitation of rote prayer
The placing of flowers
The sharing of grief

New birth        baptism
Duck-Duck-Goose
Not stepping on the cracks
Little-League baseball        a blur
Leading up to high school prom

Haircuts
The pledge of allegiance
Saluting the flag
Push-ups
Parades

Arriving in country

A rider-less horse proceeds
Boots reversed in stirrups

The clicking of steel on pavement
The twenty one gun salute
Filling the hole

Walking back to the car

The life
The death

The ritual.

David Blaine