Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE ASS OF HEAVEN, by KATHARINE TYNAN


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE ASS OF HEAVEN, by             Poem Explanation         Poet's Biography
First Line: If I was like st. Francis
Last Line: The ass of christ by name.
Alternate Author Name(s): Hinkson, Katharine Tynan
Subject(s): Asses & Mules; Francis Assisi, Saint (1181-1226); Heaven; Jesus Christ; Saints; Paradise


IF I was like St. Francis,
As no such thing am I,
I'd give to folk of Heaven
A name to call me by,
The Ass of Christ, my master
In lands beyond the sky.

If I could bear as meekly
Stumbling uphill my load,
As he, my four-foot brother,
Inured to curse and rod,
'Twould not so ill beseem me
To be the Ass of God.

If I could stand so patient,
In scourging wind and rain,
And bear so uncomplaining
The bitter ways of men;
To be the Ass of Heaven
Would be my glory then.

But, I, so cold, so froward,
So fain of my own will,
Hating the load I carry,
Aware of every hill!
Make me like this small brother,
Kind and forgiving still!

If like this honest brother
I bore the blame and shame,
The Cross between my shoulders
To show Whose ass I am,
The folk of Heaven might hail me
The Ass of Christ by name.





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