A Saint for You by Celeste Roberts

I don't know

how magical a saint’s medal is,

a good luck charm disguised

as some virgin martyr’s effigy,

or if a scapular can truly guarantee

my soul gets into Heaven

(if there even is a soul or Heaven).

I don't know

how well holy water

will protect against a house fire,

burglars, termites, wind,

grief, or petty arguments

(but my mother insists on her ritual

of sprinkling it throughout a new house).

I don't know

if lacking a crucifix above our bedroom door

will concern older relatives

that the world has possessed us

(I wonder if any have noticed

I don’t make the sign of the cross

whenever I pass a church).

I don't know

if my rosary,

a relic of my childhood’s first rite

of body and blood,

now bundled up in my RAV4’s glovebox,

will keep away this clawing doubt

(after all, my cousin still died

after months of pressing the same beads

and murmuring their incantations).

I don't know

if this Bible will answer

all of my questions

or comfort me when my family

begins to dwindle in size

(sometimes, I am tempted

to try to summon them

with Hasbro’s mass-produced spirit board,

but I remember the priest’s tale of exorcisms

and enraged spirits sent to the bayous).

What I do know

is that the hands that brought me these talismans,

the hearts that keep a lit candle at an altar for me,

the mouths that speak spells of good fortune,

give me something like faith.

_______________________________________

Celeste Roberts is a South Louisiana native and lover of good food, good people, and good fun. She is a contributor to and co-editor of READ ONLY MAGAZINE, a biannual retro-gaming publication that delves into the art and passion surrounding classic video games. She is thankful for the written word and the people who share their stories.

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