(Song of gratitude to St. Francis of Assisi)



My patron saint's a man who went

from town to town and paid no rent

The things he owned besides his soul

were shoes a gown and a begging bowl.



What struck me first when I was young

was how he never got bit or stung

though bears and snakes he did befriend

real bears and snakes not just pretend.



I knew this wasn't easy stuff

because I tried it myself enough

but bears and snakes they ran from me

though dogs and cats came willingly.



Deep within the wooded calm

he sang a song a simple psalm