A Woman Clothed in Words Read Online Free PDF Page B

– May justice and mercy kiss.
    •
    A – May war be a memory
    And prisoners run free,
    Preachers dancing,
    Prophets playing,
    Martyrs without call.
    •
    B – May justice and mercy kiss.
    •
    A – May babes brown and white
    Milk-mouthed be happy
    As calves tickled by thistles,
    Licking honey from the sun,
    Licking honey from the sun.
    •
    A & B – Justice and mercy shall kiss
    Amen and Amen and Amen.

Litany of the Bagladies
    (words for a dance piece)
    BAGGY BAGLADY
    SKINNY BAGLADY

    BB – It’s the legs mostly. Legs tired all the time. You keep walking, walking, carrying your stuff. Dragging everything along with you. When you sleep you sleep sitting up. That’s the hardest thing on the legs. The hardest thing.

    SB – I’ll be at the train station, sitting on a bench with a hand on each of my bags, and I’ll be thinking how did you get into this mess, Dolly? How did it come about?

    BB – It’s the legs mostly …

    SB – This is certainly not what I expected of myself. Not at all what I could have expected.

    BB – These sores on me legs. I’ve had ’em a long time now. Six months, a year, two years mebbe. Every so often I take a busride down to the hospital, get ’em fixed up a bit. Try to keep off your feet Mrs. Adams. Snarky bitch.

    SB – How did I get into this mess anyway?

    BB – That’s a laugh isn’t it? (laughs bitterly) You just nicely gets snoozing on a bench and a cop moves you on. (laughs again) Moving on. Legs aching. Trying to find a place to sleep. Something to eat. A bathroom where you can wash up, change y’clothes. Comb y’hair a bit.

    SB – I’m a mess. I should go down to McDonald’s or maybe out to the U of S. They have decent washrooms there. Always tidy and clean. I should get my hair done too. It’s a mess.

    BB – Get something to eat. Mebbe I’ll ask for a doughnut, cuppa coffee. Sometimes they’ll give you something.

    SB – You know I used to read a lot. Philosophy, social comment, politics. Yes I was very interested in politics … Now when I go to the library it’s because it’s warm in there. And the chairs are so comfortable, and padded. Like heaven after these hard benches. Mmm hmm Mmm hmm …

    BB – Walking, walking, trying to get a bit of a snooze. Walking. Walking. Walking. (coughs)

    CHANT
    Saint Brenda defend us
    Saint Brenda defend us
    Jeanne d’Arc fight for us
    Saint Emmeline Pankhurst struggle for us
    Show forth our anger
    •

    Saint Brenda defend us
    Saint Brenda defend us
    Jeanne d’Arc fight for us
    Saint Emmeline Pankhurst struggle for us
    Show forth our anger

    SPEAK
    Holy saints alive
    Be there when we arrive
    Holy saints alive
    •

    Saint Barbara falling from your tower
    Understand our despair our despair
    We ask you Saint Clare
    Show us your poverty
    Enclose us keep us to ourselves
    Holy saints listen to our mumbling
    Listen to our prayer
    Forgive us forgive us our sainthood

    CHANT
    We ask you Saint Clare
    Enclose us keep us to ourselves
    Holy saints listen to our mumblings
    Listen to our prayers
    Forgive us our sainthood
    •

    Catherine Labouré increase our vision
    Saint Teresa give us holy insight
    Give us holy love holy love

    SPEAK
    For we have abandoned our children
    We have abandoned our parents
    We have abandoned our mates
    Holy saints forgive us our sainthood

    CHANT
    We have abandoned our children
    We have abandoned our parents
    We have abandoned our mates
    Holy saints forgive us our sainthood

    SPEAK
    Sara patron of all nomads
    Be with us be with us be with us
    For we have relinquished the world
    We are pilgrims
    We are wanderers
    W a n d e r e r s

    Sara patron of all nomads
    Pray for us
    Pray for us homeless
    Pray for us nameless
    Always departing
    Never arriving

    CHANT
    Pray for us always departing departing departing
    Never arriving
    Pray for us going on our way
    From day to day
    From nowhere to nowhere
    Going on our way

    Dame Julian of Norwich
    Enlighten us
    Saint Ursula teach us
    Saint Eleanor Roosevelt
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