Far from the cloistered roses of Carmel
she heard the prayers for protection
from legions of her beloved at Verdun,
Alieu, the Somme, those who carried
her medallion, holy card or her image inside
their uniforms or their helmets.
Interceding with a storm of glory,
she appeared, carrying a cross
as she pushed back a barrage of bullets,
struggling through blood-soaked trenches,
this Jeanne d’Arc, this “little bird,”
guarded pilots flying Nieuport 17’s,
her picture painted on their wings
to ward off German Spandaus.
So many of her cherished soldiers
reported seeing her, unpetalling
a bright red rose, then giving them one
as a medal for their heroic faith.
This poem also appears in the October 2024 issue of U.S. Catholic (Vol. 89, No. 10, page 8). Click here to subscribe to the magazine.
