St. Catherine Of Siena Poem by naomi smith

St. Catherine of Siena

When they brought him forth
the crowd roared.
'Miserable thief! '
Better off dead, it was agreed
for all the grief
he had given his mother.
Would he submit or give them a show
Trying to dodge the henchman's blow?
Catherine, among them, appeared -
Dance! ' an old man shouted -
Serene -
'Put up a fight! ' came another -
wishing -
'Run for it! '
she could wear
fine apparel -
'Justice be done! ' -
for such an occasion:
'Give us something to remember! '
birth,
death,
all at once.
'Plead for your life! ' mocked his brother.

'Remember me when thou comest
into Thy kingdom, ' he mumbled
The crowd sighed and scoffed
in disappointment,
hoping for at least some cursing
or a glorious scoffing speech..
'A worthless fool! ' blasted an old woman.

He saw Catherine come forth.
Only a few hours before
she assured him all would be well.
And when his head fell,
Not in the bucket,
But caught in her arms,
She rolled it gently
That he might gaze into her eyes;
He found them loving and wise,
Unaware that his body had died.
As she cradled him,
As his mother had never done,
she gave him a gift;
she sang to him
a lull-a-bye.
'All the way to Heaven,
to Heaven, is Heaven”,
she did say,
“For I am the one, I am the way.'

All his life he had waited for this
And so he died - with a kiss.