COME SUNDAY

Composed as a suite of pitch-perfect poems, Grimes (Portrait of Mary, 1994, etc.) affectionately portrays a young girl's enjoyment of the spirit and practice of Sunday services in her community's church.

On Sunday, LaTasha's mother wakes her up with whispers, and after she is dressed, "I practically run to Paradise— / to Paradise Baptist Church." There she is greeted and pinched by "Blue-Haired Ladies," surveys the "Ladies' Hats," and admires the "White Gloves" worn by the ushers. She enjoys the "march-march-marching in place," gently sways to "Rock-a-my-soul," and feels joy in her baptism. Sunday school, collection plate offerings, and children's prayers are celebrated, as are delicious church suppers, a visiting preacher, and the final "Sunday Evening" service. At the end of the long, joy-filled day, LaTasha is sleepy and glad she spent "another day in Paradise." While some of Bryant's watercolor paintings are more skilled than others, the overall effect is one of exaltation tempered by serene faith.

Whatever their religious background, readers will smile at the jubilation.