First date, Arby’s
On the way to church
On a Tuesday night.
A revival.
Laughter over curly fries,
A short drive to a clapboard church
Singing “Love Lifted Me”
In an old wooden pew
Somewhere close to Paris.
Tennessee, not France.
I don’t remember the exact text
Or the sermon,
But do recall
Catching your eye
And the sly smile
Amid the alleluias and amens,
A deeper grace.
When all else is gone,
These remain:
Faith
Hope
Love.
And the greatest of these
Smiles at me from the third row,
Eternally.