by Mireya Perez Bustillo
“Didn’t Our Lady smile
……at the Little Drummer Boy?
Didn’t the Brown Virgin appear
……to the poor Indian Juan?
And in Fatima to the three children?
I knew it would happen
Wasn’t I so good?
Didn’t I collect cents for the
……children of China?
Didn’t I cross myself before eating
……and make restitution for the stolen cookie?
I knew where, too.
Not on the left altar by the statue
……that moved when I stared at it.
That was too easy.
I knew it would be on the Elm
……by the corner of the Church.
To test my readiness
I must do what the saints did
……Mortify my flesh.
Dig my nails into my palms
……and not cry out
So God could see
……I was ready.
I read that the Lord came
……to St. Ignatius
when his legs were wounded
so I bound rubber bands around
……my calves to impress Him more.
‘See God, see, how ready I am.’
Was it a hair on my cheek?
Tossing my hair back, I felt it still
A feathery caress, a rustling
……behind me
A filling of the air
An arc enveloping …
I knew it would happen.”