Poem #9: St. Anthony

Saint Anthony, a it is told, 

finds lost things when their trail is cold

but he has many tales to tell

besides that, as you'll see. 

He had a friend once who, in fact

believed Communion was an act;

he said Our Lord could not be there

because it could not be. 

And so, he told our friend the saint, 

"I've got a donkey here. He ain't 

that much to look at, but he'll help me

prove that I am right.

"I'll starve him for about three days, 

and then I'll offer him some hay

while you hold up the Eucharist

plainly within his sight.

"I'll bet you anything," said he,

"my donkey will come straight to me

to eat some hay, although you say

Our Lord is in your hands."

Saint Anthony agreed to this, 

although he very dearly wished 

the donkey needn't starve for days

although the cause was grand. 

Then finally, the day arrived

on which the donkey would contrive

which friend was right regarding 

the True Presence of Our Lord. 

The donkey was so very thin

that one could see his bones within

his legs were weak and wobbly from 

the hunger he'd endured. 

He saw his master with the straw, 

and with a very faint "hee-haw"

he braced himself to hobble towards

the long-awaited meal. 

But something else then caught his eye:

it was the Saint. He lifted high

the Eucharist. The donkey saw, 

and then began to kneel.

With total disregard for hay, 

the donkey knelt and there he stayed

facing the holy monstrance with 

his face bowed to the dust. 

And since then, it has come to pass, 

the donkey's master comes to Mass

and celebrates the presence of Our Lord

with all his trust.