Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Novena (NaPoWriMo Day 15--and yes, I still have some catching up to do!)


She is Our Lady of Divine
Self-Deprecation,
And though she shrouds
Her form beneath
A baggy sweater,
You shall know her by
The shield she wields
To deflect compliments
And the way 
She half-raises her hand 
In a timid blessing, 
Because of course
She understands
If you would rather
Get somebody better
To do it.

Please don’t count
Your prayers to her
On golden beads.
Reserve that for
Those goddesses who rise
From the foamy
Seas fully formed.
Not for her,
She’d be embarrassed.
And anyways, she has simpler needs—
Maybe some offerings of burnt
Reassurances now and then
Or a donut
On Monday mornings
To make her feel
Remembered.

Really,
That’s all it takes
To win her favor
And to gain
The unmerited grace
Of her sitting next to you
In important meetings—
Awkward and perspiring—
That you might shine
By comparison
In her presence,
And look good
While cleaning up
Her holy mess.



2 comments:

  1. Ah! My favorite kind of Saint-Goddess!

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  2. I saw your poem from the 18th featured on the official NaPo blog, and stuck around to enjoy your other work. I just wanted to tell you that this poem is particularly awesome and made me laugh. Good work!

    ReplyDelete