No Rest For The Afflicted By Alexandra Nimmo
OCTOBER 5, 2024 /
THE RISING PHOENIX REVIEW
No Rest For The Afflicted
Sweet Lidwina, what ailed you?
A spritely young girl, rollicking in the brisk Holland air
If only they’d known the ice you skated upon was so thin
The pain you must’ve felt long before the fall, sweet Lidwina.
Seraphic Lidwina full of faith and unwavering hope,
They chronicled your mythos as one of holy valor
I wish you needn’t be so resilient, little lion-heart with bones of glass
Oh the loss of what could’ve been, seraphic Lidwina.
Starving Lidwina, did they not understand your hunger for rest?
A single date, a bit of apple, a swig of watered wine
Morsels becoming mountains in your aching jaw, stone against your teeth
I wonder if pious fasting was the simpler explanation, starving Lidwina.
Stoic Lidwina, pure soul armored with heavens impenetrable love,
Your bedroom a sacred basilica in which you took respite
Desecrated by your trusted priest and defiled by soldiers ordered to guard you
A flightless bird with no defense is only prey in the eyes of a beast, stoic Lidwina.
Selfless Lidwina, did your generous spirit know no bounds?
Nourished only with communion, you filled empty bellies with abundance
Cured the sick with healing prayer despite your perpetual suffering
The humble servant you strived to be was a heroine to others, selfless Lidwina.
Saint Lidwina, who knew the weight of the cross
Body curved like the Schiedamse Schie, frozen from that fateful winter’s day
Who carried her burden with unfathomable grace until death granted her repose
Please pray for me, that I may find serenity sooner, Saint Lidwina.
By Alexandra Nimmo
[
ed note: I don’t know if you noticed, but it’s by Alexandra Nimmo!]