A Mothering Sunday Recalled

by Edward Keyes

Pre-marital curate days
and music of Mendelssohn.
Cold, ill-lit, down-town church
  on darkening March afternoon.

Vicar's mushy Mary-sermon
falling like wayside seed.
Much more of Mary's grace
in two clear untrilling sopranos
  singing "I waited for the Lord".

They will be old now, or have departed
to the Lord upon whom their voices,
merged with Mendelssohn,
waited in unaffected song,
voices perhaps unremembered
  save in these wandering words.