Test After Test Poem by Rajaram Ramachandran

On the top, Baron Massy felt
The Lady’s matter be dealt
With an iron hand for the reason
One girl was fooling everyone.

To restraint, he had the power,
Anyone with mental disorder,
When it caused a breach of peace
Or turned to be a public nuisance.

He decided to entrust
The case of Bernadette
To a reputed psychiatrist
And get his final report.

He selected a specialist,
Who questioned Bernadette,
Next day, in the hospital,
To start with, in general.

He switched o’er to the topic,
And was more specific,
To ask “Was she Virgin Mary,
Whom you call the Lady? ”

She replied, “I never called her so.
I saw only a Lady at the Grotto.”
This kind of questioning
She was tired of answering.

He coaxed her to come
To his nursing home
For his close observation
And his final conclusion.

She got scared and ran
For help towards the Dean,
Who refused to spare her
For this kind of torture.

The police told the Dean
That she had to be taken
For this compulsory test
Under orders of the State.
.
The Dean shouted then
“If she has to be taken,
You may have it done
After shooting me down.”

This kind of his support,
Which she didn’t expect,
Was really a turning point
In the life of Bernadette,

She was taken to a secret place
With her mother Louise
And kept in a parish house,
That even police couldn't trace.