Danielle N. Dixon

Sunday Service

Southeast · Mt. Pleasant · Poetry

Bar-B-Que smoke signals summon Sunday sinners from their slumber
Today, backyard is church
No one is formally invited but every-one will come through
All are welcome in this sanctuary
Come as you are
The gospel of rhythms dusts our blues.
We take communion
Deviled eggs are the body
And the blood, V.O. in red solo
Parishioners bring side dish offerings
Lay them along the altar
Those who can’t cook bring plates, cups and ice
Others bring themselves, their love and laughter
Every offering is just enough
There’ll be spades and tonk for the kids
But bid whist is grown folk’s biz
Half-steppin’
Rise and fly
Slappin’ cards and tellin’ lies
Turn to your neighbor
Say “Neighbor! It’s sacrilegious to renege in this house!”
We commiserate, feed our faces and slap our thighs when we laugh from the gut
We pour one out for our dearly departed
Our time here is short so,
We hug necks and kiss cheeks in this fellowship
There is always a “to-go” plate wrapped in foil
Guests take what they need from the bag of bags under the kitchen sink

The sun bleeds orange across the Mount Pleasant skyline
The breeze carries music and laughter on the wind
We know these are the best days of our lives
This is the day the Lord hath made
Let the church say Amen
Amen.

Danielle N. Dixon

Danielle Dixon is a published author, poet and artist. She is a current Baldwin House writer in residence. She has a BA in Visual Art from Kent State University and is an alumna of The Cleveland School of the Arts. Her work has been published in Cleveland Stories Volume 2, Inclusion Magazine and The Luna Negra. She currently lives in Cleveland, Ohio.

About

Neighborhood Voices is a city-wide creative writing project designed by Literary Cleveland and the Cleveland Public Library to engage writers across Cleveland, allowing residents to connect with neighbors, share stories of their community, and draft new writing about what makes their neighborhood unique.

Contact

216-623-2800
information@cpl.org
Cleveland Public Library
325 Superior Ave.
Cleveland, OH 44114

Project Created By Literary Cleveland

Literary Cleveland is a nonprofit organization and creative writing center that empowers people to explore other voices and discover their own. Through an expanding roster of multi-level classes, workshops and events, Literary Cleveland assists writers and readers at all stages of development, promotes new and existing literature of the highest quality, and advances Northeast Ohio as a vital center of diverse voices and visions.

Project Presented with Support By the Cleveland Public Library

Founded in 1869, Cleveland Public Library serves the residents of Cleveland through its network of 27 neighborhood branches, the Main Library downtown, Public Administration Library at City Hall, homebound delivery services, and mobile services to daycare and senior centers. From a collection of 10.5 million items, the Library lends over 5 million items a year to its 330,000 registered borrowers and to 43 other CLEVNET-member libraries in 12 counties across Northeast Ohio. Cleveland Public Library is home to the Ohio Center for the Book and the Ohio Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled, serving all 88 counties in the state of Ohio. For more information, visit cpl.org.