St. Francis Marries Lady Poverty
St. Francis Marries Lady Poverty They’d already been living together For some time. The ceremony was Just for, well, ceremony. An excuse To gather with friends. The bridesmaids, all nuns, Tried to take her out the night before, but She wouldn’t sit down, much less eat. They ended up walking around the town, Petting cats. Why was he marrying her, They whispered, she who was so…so…plain? As for Francis, some brothers convinced him That it would be fun if they all went out Into the fields. They all went out into the fields. It wasn’t much of a bachelor party. The morning of the wedding, she wore a dress Of patched-together rags. Her lips were chapped, Her hair a tangled mess. In lieu of a bouquet She held a branch of thorns. The bridesmaids Smiled falsely, checked their nails. None of the brothers even bothered Making that old joke about whether She had a sister. But everyone was happy For them as she approached the altar And Francis did what he had always Told them to do - embraced her.