Rituals are for the rich,
Or anyone else
Who  can afford to waste their time
Doing extravagant, specific things
That no one understands anymore.

Practices are for the practical,
Ways handed down
So one can know
When it is ok to eat poke salad,
And how to clean a cast iron pan.

Sometimes a practice and a ritual meet at a crossroad,
The ritual being carried on a litter,
The practice stands and says, "After you,"
Then shakes its head, wondering
Why the ritual is off down a road
That has never been finished
And never will be,
Because it doesn't lead to anyplace
Where anybody really wants to go.

-jenn