When I was wee,
only about five years old,
I lost my favourite book –
Harold Hare.

I was really disappointed
but Mammy knew
exactly what to do.
“Say a wee prayer
to Saint Anthony”, she said.

And so I did.
I prayed and I prayed
and I searched the house
from top to bottom.

The book was nowhere
to be found.

So it was that,
at a very young age,
I decided
that I wasn’t speaking
to Saint Anthony.

Over the years
I lost many things
(including my favourite
red bicycle)
and over the years
I was advised many times
to pray to Saint Anthony.

But I didn’t pray to Saint Anthony –
I wasn’t speaking to him, you see.

Then, in my student days,
I lost something
and a friend suggested
that I pray to Saint Anthony.
I explained
that wasn’t going to happen
and I told my friend why.

My friend surprised me by saying,
“Maybe your book was stolen.
Saint Anthony can’t return things
that have been stolen.”
And when I thought back,
that made sense.
There had been a suspicion
at the time
that someone had stolen the book.

So now, when I lose anything at all,
I say a wee prayer
to Saint Anthony.
He’s very good at finding things
(and he’s very forgiving –
phew!)

© Claire Murray, 28th February 2022