A24 The Trouble Was Not Over Poem by Rajaram Ramachandran

Fifteen days were over.
To the Grotto, for prayer,
Bernadette stopped going.
At Cachot, she was staying.

Young boys and girls,
Played their different roles,
Imitating like Bernadette
At Grotto, the same spot.

Many devoted ladies kept,
Lighted candles at the site,
O’er a makeshift altar
That sanctified the center.

Five days were o’er.
Once again, for prayer,
Bernadette went there alone,
But saw the empty cavern.

She was lost in her thought
And didn’t feel the heat
Of the candle that touched
Her hand and scorched.

She didn’t notice it,
But a lady snatched it.
Her own self, she forgot,
In that ecstatic state.

The police tried to defame
Bernadette’s fair name
Saying, she was the daughter
Of Francois, a drunkard father.

Not to go against superstition,
The Emperor gave instruction
To deal with the matter
At the lower level later.

The Dean also was confused,
He, therefore, slowly refused
To take any drastic action
For its immediate suppression.

The Doctor, who tested,
In course of time, detested
Giving an adverse report,
As he wasn’t sure about it.

No initiative was taken,
By any responsible person,
For fear of offending the Lady,
In case she had appeared really.