The St. Jude Dog Lady – a poem by Jeffrey Essmann

The St. Jude Dog Lady

It’s always just ‘bout halfway through the Mass:
She and her ratty little dog walk past
The rite itself, the priest, the weekday crowd
Of faithful folk upon their knees and praying.
It must be said at least she isn’t loud:
She stands before the statue of St. Jude,
Eyes tightly closed and hands upheld, displaying
A proper reverential attitude.
I wonder what her hopeless cause might be
That brings her daily to the effigy.
What situation can she not surpass
That drives her on and feeds her monologue
So fervently? Some personal morass
Or is she simply praying for the dog?

Jeffrey Essmann is an essayist and poet living in New York. His poetry has appeared in numerous magazines and literary journals, among them Dappled Things, Amethyst Review, the St. Austin Review, Pensive Journal, America Magazine, The Society of Classical Poets, and various venues of the Benedictine monastery with which he is an oblate. He is editor of The Catholic Poetry Room.