Better ahead than a behind
There was this Saint
Francis of Assisi
A rich kid who
Had these Oedipal struggles,
maybe it was his Dad
or maybe it was loose living
I never can quite decide
but it was probably just guilt
that got the best of him.
He wanted to take off his clothes
Be a disciple of Socrates
or was it Archimedes?
One of the two, but
his timing wasn’t good,
So he painted himself tree green
Started talking to the birds.
This was out of order
So what could he do, but
Grow his own.
Well you know how it goes
If you’re ahead of your time
Everybody thinks you’re smoking dope
& a life of poverty is your fate.
After Pope Innocent had a bad dream
He called begging
A pattern for virtuous living
(Not for him, you understand, for that
poor sucker in his dream)
St Frances finally got the last laugh
He caught up with Innocent in Purgatory
Both were waiting for a map
A heaven guide book
As it turns out, it was about the time
Galileo came up with new insight
Sort of a revolutionary earth idea
about how the world goes around
It sort of turned
the Pope’s world upside down
Frances was at the bottom
on earth
Now he was on top.
With his bad eyes, stigmataism I think,
He took his map and went
the wrong way,
but he got where he was heading anyway
Which is why he is often called
the patron saint of Corrigan,
Both are remembered for going
The wrong way.
Hint for the creative loafer, busy student, or ... whateverIn my opinion, every poem should take the reader on a trip. The internet and the hyperlinks in this piece ease the burden of discovery. Most poems are not hyperlinked, but no problem, go to
"The Free Dictionary" and learn how to customize your browser. Do it once and the next time you are curious about a word or phrase, highlight it and right click. Wola.
Labels: history, religion, science
