Voice from across the street

Today I sit in an unfamiliar pew - the body of Christ stretches in two directions
I listen to a woman sing the hymns of this place
I remember Jane Mitchell who sang before her kitchen window
Her voice crossed the street to the house where I was young
As she practiced for Sundays and special occasions

Tonight an unfamiliar service continues with a bench for kneeling, wafers for tasting
Two people's lives join while family and friends watch and listen
and I remember an evening when I sat in a familiar church with my family
My first wedding - our neighbor's daughter
Jane Mitchell sang the hymns of the church and a song of love
As my brother laughed uncontrollably on the pew between our parents
Tickled by the voice from across the street

A second woman sings "Ave Maria"
I am lost in the words from her lips, the range of the notes
And return to that Baptist Church in Waynesboro with my family and neighbors