Made a Side Note

I sat outside the door,
My ear pressed against the crack,
The air pressure between
Foyer and sanctuary
Rushed there,
Denying me my hearing.
Still, I was
Listening,
     Waiting,
          Fearing.

They had finished counting ballots,
Then counting them once again
     Just to be sure.
To choose to make the children leave,
Or to keep them in their arms.

All that was left was
Waiting,
     Fearing,

Praying

That the news would not be
The words I was scared to hear;
That me and my friends would have to leave,
Forced out by the decisions of the uninvolved.

They said that the school
Was the cause of division,
That we were the reason
The church was falling
     To pieces.

And then
The announcement was made,
So cluttered in with other business
I nearly missed it.

And then I wished that I had.

We left

And never
Looked
Back.