The Priesthood Vow Poem by Ronald Doku

The blood of both innocent and corrupt had stained Don Carlo's hands
And his sins were as red as crimson
For the fourth time in a fortnight
The fortune teller's prophecy was was his nightmare

His soul was restless, and his conscience would not let him be
Each time he closed his eyes, 'Your son shall take your life'
Was the voice that haunted him in his sleep
A man once without fear, now feared each day that passed by

His son, Paolo, was only 10, and Don Carlo feared the day he would become a man
Don Carlo had decided it was better Paolo became a priest
Donna Fiore, his wife, was reluctant at first, and cursed the day Paolo would leave her
But she loathed more what he would become if he stayed

Like Christ, Paolo started the Lord's work at 12
Don Carlo now hoped for a better sleep, for he knew certainly
A priest could not take anyone's life, let alone his father
Papa Michael was Paolo's teacher, he taught him the ways of a priest

At the missionary was Mario, the green eyed boy from Catania
Great friends they had become, and together they faced boyhood Paolo had learnt to love the Lord, but he loved Mario more
It all started when Mario made them play 'taste the forbidden fruit'

Two decades later, and the boy Paolo was now a man
The day he would finally become a priest had come
And Don Carlo was sure he was now master of his own fate
For there was no way his son could take his life

At the ceremony, Paolo called out Mario when he was about to be ordained priest
He held his hand and asked Papa Michael to marry them
The priest refused, moments later, Don Carlo fell to the ground
As it turned out, Don Carlo was not master of his fate after all

The lifeless body of the heartbroken oldman said it all
The shame and embarassment was too much to bear
Don Carlo's son had taken his life
Just like the fortune teller said would happen