Ogden Nash

I Didn't Go to Church Today

I Didn't Go to Church Today - meaning Summary

Summer Over Sacred Duty

The speaker skips church to spend a summer day at the beach, trusting that God will understand. The poem contrasts formal religious obligation with immediate, sensual pleasure—the surf and children playing—while acknowledging life’s brevity. Rather than guilt, the speaker expresses confidence in future reunion with the divine, suggesting that present earthly joy does not jeopardize spiritual relationship but fits into a larger, enduring plan.

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I didn't go to church today, I trust the Lord to understand. The surf was swirling blue and white, The children swirling on the sand. He knows, He knows how brief my stay, How brief this spell of summer weather, He knows when I am said and done We'll have plenty of time together.

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