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Saint Francis of Ladder Ranch

07 Feb

Saint Francis of Ladder Ranch

 

Poor St. Francis,
he never knew such outrage in Italy:
Patron Saint of the Ladder Ranch,
animals, and the natural world.

His statue stands guard in our yard,
watching over birds, even the grouse,
the eagles, the robins, and it seems,
ravens, crows and magpies.

He looks out for cattle, sheep,
horses, dogs, and those wild critters.
our children.
He sees deer, elk, antelope.

St. Francis, please care for
the bats, the bees, and butterflies—
maybe not mosquitoes!
No patron saint for them.

So here stands his likeness,
concrete birds upon his fist.
In summer, actual bird poop
paints stigmata hands and feet.

But now, in the depths of winter,
in cold winds and drift
poor Francis stoically endures,
waist-deep in snow-white robes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
1 Comment

Posted by on February 7, 2020 in Animals, Nature and Wildlife, Poetry

 

Tags: , , , ,

One response to “Saint Francis of Ladder Ranch

  1. Linda Fleming

    February 7, 2020 at 7:36 PM

    May we use this in the SRP on the Faith & Lifestyle page? 

     

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