The Two Caps

Can I trust her?!
She speaks to me with gentle words.
“ Son”, she calls me, and “Child”
Honeyed-words on my abused ears.

Can I trust her?
Others have yelled at me:
“ thief, robber, liar, cheat”
accusing me of even worse things.
All I wanted was something to eat.

She promises me food, clothes, warmth
[ah…warmth]
She will teach me, she says, I will become a man.
But, can I trust her?
I have heard this before,
But those lips are frozen in death.

Her eyes are gentle, her hand so tender,
I am tired, I am scared , I am alone.
I don’t tell her this, but she knows!
I resist her, but it is all a show…

I will trust her…

-- Kathleen M. Aucoin, S.C.

Elizabeth Boyle, Sister of Charity, tenderly invites a orphaned child 'living' on the streets of New York City to stay with her and the Sisters. His parents, like many, were the victims of gangs that had no use for the immigrants of the day. This statue reflects her love and care for these children at St. Patrick Orphanage on Mott and Prince Streets in the mid-1800s.