A15 The Lady Asked For A Chapel Poem by Rajaram Ramachandran

From that day, Bernadette went,
To the Grotto and was present,
Till the Lady appeared before her,
And continued to do her prayer.

Thro’ her signs and gestures,
Also her facial movements,
Her people well understood,
That before her, the Lady stood.

The police at a distance
Kept their usual vigilance
To submit their report,
On the day’s events hot.

While she was praying,
A stranger was trying
Inside the cavern to poke
With his long stick.

This violence pained her.
She shouted at the intruder
“Why are you hurting her?
Go away from here.”
.
The policeman then warned
“This place will be cleared
If there’s any more violence
And disturbance to the peace.”

The crowd understood
The prevailing mood
And started their prayer
At that crucial hour.

That was the day
When the Lady
Made a mention
On her intention.

“Tell the priests to build
A chapel on this ground
Let processions come here, ”
Thus she made herself clear.

Estrade, the tax-collector,
Who came as a visitor,
Along with his sister,
Saw everything there.

As an ardent Catholic
He saw the scene mystic
And felt for the girl
As well as her people.

“In the Church or Cavern
God is kind to everyone.
He lives everywhere,
At all times anywhere.”

“He is always near
And takes every care
Whether you’re near Him
Or far away from Him.”

This truth was well known,
To the folks of the town,
But those in high positions
Failed to understand this.