Excerpt from Wichita Mourning
David Matherne

Pipe organs—dusty and tarnished—

Bellowed the ancient song,
As movers carried the pews
For one last time.

Frozen branches—heavy with ice arms—
Couldn’t perform their dance,
As workmen shuffled inside
The worn-out floors.

Sally Richards—broken and mourning—
Watched while her father left,
As painters brought in their cans
For the first time.

Stained-glass windows—buckled and broken—
Surveyed commotion’s cause
As commerce won in the end
Yet one more time.

Reverend Richards—feeble and finished—
Cried as his exit was lost
On Christians who worshiped the dime;
A change of the times.
Which is the best summary of this entire poem?

A) A pipe organ is being replaced in a Wichita church.
B) Sally Richards and her father, the minister, are moving away.
C) Several painters are moving into an old church in Wichita to repaint it and remove the organ.
D) A church in Wichita is being taken over for another purpose, and the minister and his daughter are grieving.
Eli