She knelt down next to me

She knelt down next to me in a church one day,
A gothic structure old with ancient prayers
And spectral traces of forgotten cares.
I had withdrawn into a quiet bay
As much to hide as seek some other way
To pacify the troubling, awful flares
Of envy, lust and rage, the anxious fears
And passionate desires that seemed to crave
Attention night and day. I might belay
These fierce emotions and climb the stairs
Of quiet piety beyond the glares
Of my own righteousness if she would stay
A while and add a prayer to my Amen….
I thought. I never laid eyes on her again.