Congregations
The church service ends spilling people out
like being silent for an hour
was too much to bear
so when the doors open for escape,
everyone talks over each other
louder and louder to be heard
like early-morning when a flock
of sparrows congregates in the pine tree,
and a major cheep, cheep, twitter, chitter
fest pleasing to hear yet louder
than all get out. Quiet all night
by morning wanting to tell their friends
what they heard and dreamed the night before.
People shut up together to listen
to a Sunday sermon, released
to chatter about the week’s activities.
Diane Webster's work has appeared in Old Red Kimono, North Dakota Quarterly, New English Review, Studio One and other literary magazines. She had micro-chaps published by Origami Poetry Press in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. She was a featured writer in Macrame Literary Journal and WestWard Quarterly. She lives in Colorado. www.dianewebster.com
You can see more of her work in 10.2 and 10.2 and 9.3