My dear brother
stands in the kitchen
with his brand new bride
and her three beautiful children,
faces the horrid awkwardness
of my father
who is rooted in the hallway beyond,
where he appears to be glued to the floor,
stuck in a morass of religious allegiance
despite the Spirit's pleas
to walk in
and embrace them all.

Text and
image © 2013 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved.