Edilson Ferreira
Faithful Prayers
Always on Tuesday, Saint Anthony’s day,
I attend Mass at Saint Anthony’s church,
the littlest and farthermost of my town.
Indeed, it is more like a chapel.
Few people go there, they pray mainly
at Saint Vincent’s, in Central Square,
that looks as refulgent as a Cathedral.
They are unaware that the church I go to
was built on the ground of an old cemetery,
where all my great-grandparents had been buried.
Their bones (and a bit of their hopes, I believe)
remain in the foundation of Saint Anthony’s.
I firmly believe in their blessings, along
with those of our Lord and of the Saint of
every Tuesday morning.
Faithful Prayers
Always on Tuesday, Saint Anthony’s day,
I attend Mass at Saint Anthony’s church,
the littlest and farthermost of my town.
Indeed, it is more like a chapel.
Few people go there, they pray mainly
at Saint Vincent’s, in Central Square,
that looks as refulgent as a Cathedral.
They are unaware that the church I go to
was built on the ground of an old cemetery,
where all my great-grandparents had been buried.
Their bones (and a bit of their hopes, I believe)
remain in the foundation of Saint Anthony’s.
I firmly believe in their blessings, along
with those of our Lord and of the Saint of
every Tuesday morning.
A Brazilian poet, Mr. Ferreira, 75 year-old, writes in English rather than in Portuguese. Largely published in international journals in print and online, he began writing at age 67. He was nominated for the Pushcart Prize 2016. His first Poetry Collection – Lonely Sailor – has been launched in London, November 2018, with one hundred poems. Read more of his work at www.edilsonmeloferreira.com.