dip it in the sauce first

she tells me
over drinks, red wine,
and calamari sizzling
fresh out of the deep
fry pan back
in the kitchen,
that she is spiritual
but not religious. and
i tell her that i'm
the opposite.
i like the rituals,
the up and down rythmn
of the old church, when
it was in latin,
the singing, the repetitive
prayers and numbing chants.
the scary incense burning
and the stained glass.
i tell her that i don't
like to think too much
about God though when i'm
out on a date, i try to
keep those thoughts on
the back burner. if God
truly knows everything
i'm thinking about and what
i'm up to, i'm in deep
trouble. she orders
more wine at this point
and pops another fried
ring of squid, a calamari
halo, into her mouth.
like a seal at the zoo.
ouch, hot, she says.
and i tell her yup,
that's why i dip them
in the sauce first.