The Patron Saints Of Prisoners

include the eleventh century saint
Leonard of Noblac, whose feast day
is November 6th and was prayed to
by many a crusader who was waylaid
before they got to the holy lands.

St Daniel of Padua, who was martyred in 168 AD,
has been venerated ever since as the deacon 
of the first Bishop of Padua. Daniel is invoked
by women whose husbands are at war. 

Daniel was similar to Portugese priest Anthony of Padua
who is also invoked by those who are confined or imprisoned, 
of which there have been many down the centuries.

Whether we subscribe to those ancient figures,
or declare them lost to a history we choose to forget,
we still have to face our own willfull loss of choice,
and recognise the loss of liberty of others - daily. 

Life Is A Series Of Bumps

I started life as a bump in my mother's life,
a first stumble 'forward' among many,
the point of every bump/stumble after
being to 'get over it' whatever 'it' was;
to find hope and respite without seeking
to be to closely listened to by those
blind guides, my family, who could not
admit that they had neither answers for me,
nor clues as to their own sense of destination. 

I hope that when I meet the last bump,
when I want my doctor to 'bump me off'
I will not be made to cling to a life
I cannot frame with answers to questions,  
but the doctors and nurses will help me
take that transition in my stride
and in full comprehension of my sanity.    

Everybody Knows

to not go grocery shopping when they’re hungry. But who will warn us in a way that makes us listen to not look for love when we can't distinguish between our 'being alone' and our 'being lonely'?