A36 The Anxious Moments Poem by Rajaram Ramachandran

Bernadette tried her best,
In her new life, to readjust,
But the rigidity enforced,
To follow, it was hard.

Mother Marie Therese
Quite often curtly did say,
“Don’t speak aloud.
Don’t be too proud.”

“Don’t go here and there.
As you like, don’t loiter.
Don’t keep your face
Like that, morose.”

“Keep your look down.
Observe proper discipline.
You don’t concentrate.
Sleep well at night.”

It was the Mother’s goal
Just to uplift her soul.
This kind of moral lesson,
There, it was quite common.

But the very sight of the Mother
Was simply irritating her,
As she was not used to this,
And was happy in her house

She couldn’t think of a place,
Without her mother’s presence,
Under the wings of her mother
She lived without any fear.

She expected all the time,
For the Graceful Lady to come,
But knew her busy schedule
To visit also other people.

Should only the Lady say
“Go back, ” then that very day,
She was ready to go home,
As she liked to freely roam.

Outside, people bothered her.
She disliked their praising her.
But she had lost her voice.
Also she had no other choice.

What was the Lady’s plan?
Never was it known
In the Lady’s hands, she was,
She just allowed the time to pass.

One more shock she had,
A bad news, when she heard.
Louise, her mother died
She fell down and cried.

Her dear mother’s face,
She tried again to retrace.
It was a sad parting event,
When she left for the convent.

Her mother’s sudden death,
Severely affected her health.
Asthma pulled down her strength.
She couldn’t properly breathe.

The doctor, who examined her,
Declared, “No hope for her.
The Bishop said his prayer,
Bidding goodbye to her.

The three vows of ‘Poverty,
Obedience and chastity, ’
Then the Bishop administered
She accepted by shaking her head.

Then she took a deep breath,
That showed approach of death,
But suddenly her asthma cleared.
“I’m not going to die yet, ” she said.