Just one Borrowed Angel
In a hushed ward where shadows softly crept
A silent boy, in a deep coma slept
His broken head with bandages bound
Helped heal the boy who made no sound
His mum kept a vigil ‘till the closing of the day
Sitting by his bedside where he quietly lay
A silent boy, who cannot hear
Dispelling shadows, hushing fear.
Then an angel sang softly, her spirit light
Dispelling gloom though the dark empty night
She did not preach, nor did she pray
She chose a more melodic way
She did not speak of sorrows deep
But sang a melody, Oh, so sweet
Within his mind a spark took hold
A warmth replacing the winter’s cold
He lay unmoving, a canvas stark
Lost somewhere deep in the silent dark
Perhaps a frequency, a tender sound
Reached where no simple words were found
The rhythm pulsed, a steady beat
A waking life, so bitter-sweet
His eyes met hers, confusion in his gaze
Emerging slowly through the misty haze
Her singing continued, a little off key
A little tearful, now the boy could see
A figure soft in her habit close by
With gentle hands and a comforting eye
For in her song, a love profound
The boy at last was truly found
She sang of hope and quiet grace
A calm, holy sound filling this empty space
He blinked his eyes, his voice just a thread
Am I in heaven, the boy softly said
Not yet my child, but where you’re meant to be
Safe in our care, from your troubles free
His eyes held wonder, memory a blur
Then tell me sister, when did I return
Just now she said, you’ve made your way back home
Away from darkness, never more to roam
Her soft voice made the vigil sweet
For even in silence, in shadows deep
A song can guard while a body sleeps
Forever where I venture, wherever I may roam
This is my Eden, this is my home
The story unfolds like a gentle prayer
Whispering through time, for all I must bear
I had been so lost, but now so mellow -
For I ‘m the boy who became ‘a faraway fellow’
I would like to pay my respects and give thanks for the kind and diligent Doctors and Nursing Staff at Providence Hospital. St. Helens. The nuns from the order of The Servants of The Mother of God who looked after me, and to the beautiful singing nun who kept a vigil by my bedside over the long months, for her care, kindness and compassion. For her patience and tutelage when I awakened from my coma. ‘From a taper of light to a flickering flame’ I am forever indebted to them all.
This poem is an excerpt from the biography
‘The Boy Who Became a Faraway Fellow’
