Brother Shun
Who got St. Francis of Assisi’s clothes,
Those ones he shed in nakedness before
The bishop? How could anyone dispose
Of solemn beauty in that scene? Who wore
Them after that self-abnegation made
Of silklessness and stripped down young male skin
And denuded of the usual brocade
Of hyped up masculinity? When sin
Is throttled at its source, who then can wear
Its style, despite how velvet it might be?
Did shameless Father Bernardone dare
To take them home as holy loot debris?
The nude man walked away from stitched up strife.
St. Francis went away undressed for life.
