Churchgoing: Poetry Analysis The poem Churchgoing portrays the actual act of going to church as a faithless ritual. Marilyn Nelson conveys a very mundane attitude in this poem to describe the atmosphere in the church. The church attendants “sit stolidly,” while the ceremony drags on. The narrator of the poem is also on the verge of sleep, wondering whatever happened to the ideal church, which at the least included a spiritual aura. The title “Churchgoing” simplistically fits the poem as it describes the simple people who attend the services not knowing why they are really there. The church attendees show up at the church, nothing more. If you break a