Pulpits

"I am grateful we can use this space," I said,
"and I am grateful it has been preserved.
But I regret that the space is structured
in a way that reinforces hierarchy—
a select few sitting up there,
the rest of us down here in the pews,
literally boxed in,
unable, for example, to form a circle
for a different kind of devotional experience."
When I was done, someone suggested
that we subvert the hierarchy
by having all the women come forward
and occupy the pulpits.
It was a powerful symbol, of course—
also against the rules, the ushers apologetically informed us—
but it was the opposite of what I'd had in mind.