Fifteen days were over. <br />To the Grotto, for prayer, <br />Bernadette stopped going. <br />At Cachot, she was staying. <br /> <br />Young boys and girls, <br />Played their different roles, <br />Imitating like Bernadette <br />At Grotto, the same spot. <br /> <br />Many devoted ladies kept, <br />Lighted candles at the site, <br />O’er a makeshift altar <br />That sanctified the center. <br /> <br />Five days were o’er. <br />Once again, for prayer, <br />Bernadette went there alone, <br />But saw the empty cavern. <br /> <br />She was lost in her thought <br />And didn’t feel the heat <br />Of the candle that touched <br />Her hand and scorched. <br /> <br />She didn’t notice it, <br />But a lady snatched it. <br />Her own self, she forgot, <br />In that ecstatic state. <br /> <br />The police tried to defame <br />Bernadette’s fair name <br />Saying, she was the daughter <br />Of Francois, a drunkard father. <br /> <br />Not to go against superstition, <br />The Emperor gave instruction <br />To deal with the matter <br />At the lower level later. <br /> <br />The Dean also was confused, <br />He, therefore, slowly refused <br />To take any drastic action <br />For its immediate suppression. <br /> <br />The Doctor, who tested, <br />In course of time, detested <br />Giving an adverse report, <br />As he wasn’t sure about it. <br /> <br />No initiative was taken, <br />By any responsible person, <br />For fear of offending the Lady, <br />In case she had appeared really.<br /><br />Rajaram Ramachandran<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/a24-the-trouble-was-not-over/
