Fr Damien, The Light Of Molokai Poem by Parameswaran Nair Damodaran Nair

When the Hawaiian administrations were scared
By the vast spread of leprosy they were restrained
To resort to segregation of the patients by exiling them
To the far away island of Molokai, a haven of miseries

Fr. Damien volunteered and travelled to the island
To extend his services as a missionary among the lepers
But their pathetic life sunk his heart and his services
Took a versatile turn that made him the lepers' apostle

He was to them not only a missionary but a teacher,
A nurse, a friend, a protector, a mentor and a solace
And above all an angel incarnated for their cause
And worked for them untiringly until his last breath

Life in Molokai was extremely miserable for want of
Basic essentials like food, clothing and shelter
The humble and incessant prayers of the priest were
So fervid that the God's and the authorities gave in

A long-forlorn population began to enjoy the boons of
Shelters, chapels, schools, clinics, orphanages and so on
Positive signs of miraculous improvement in supplies
Began to precipitate calming down their mental turmoil

The improved water supply system introduced providing
Pure drinking water in place of the oddly filthy one was
To them a holy Ganges brought down on to the earth
By the priest like the eons-long hard penance of Bhagiratha

The priest never hesitated to nurse the poor lepers and to
Clean their leprous wounds to keep them neat and hygienic
As committed as a loving parent to the ailing children and
As dedicatedly as the untiring Florence Nightingale

Fr. Damien, the holy lamp of island Molokai enlightened
The darkened souls of lepers deprived of life and hope
And the flame ceased, like a candle that burnt away,
On April 15,1889, giving in to the fatality of leprosy

The mortal remnants of the holy priest was allowed
To merge with the soil of the island as per his last wish
We remember Fr. Damien not for his posthumous rewards
But for his noble service for which he sacrificed his life