The Nearness of You

It's not the music that excites me, 

Nor the sermon that delights me--

Oh, no; it's just the nearness of you. 

It isn't stained glass or a big screen,

Or drum roll or fog machine--

Oh, no; it's just the nearness of you. 

When you stir my heart and draw me so close to you, 

You make all of my dreams come true.

I need no candles to enchant me

If you would only grant me the grace

To gaze in awe on your face,

And to feel just a trace

Of the nearness of you.

(a churchgoer's riff on Hoagy Carmichael's "The Nearness of You"; photo by jaefrench via pixabay.com)