She didn’t have a Dior dress and she looked rather plain
In her coarse blue bordered sari which she wore time and again
She didn’t have a Gucci bag to keep all her belongings
All she had was in her heart as she had no worldly things
She didn’t have Chanel shoes to move from place to place
For on the roads of dirt and death, there was no need for fancy lace
She didn’t have a figure of any supermodel that I knew
And was frail and thin and tiny, you could call her diminutive too
She’s never been on cruise ships or holidayed in France
For all her life she struggled to give the poor another chance
She’s never tasted Caviar or sipped an Emma Peel
But she never missed a chance to pray and said it didn’t hurt to kneel
She didn’t sport a Rolex watch to check the hour of day
From morn to night she cared about the ones who had no say
Cartier diamonds weren’t her choice when it came to jewellery
Though she strongly advocated the power of the Rosary
Unlike our politicians who’re all for power and fame
This Angel from Albania cared for lepers and the lame
She didn’t waste time on lofty words and tried to do her best
To nurse the sick and tired while God put her to the test
To the dying in Calcutta, her touch just meant the world
And to the destitute who had no hope, her love she had unfurled
To the wounded in Vietnam who simply lost all hope
Mother Teresa’s warm embrace meant that they would learn to cope
To the starving in Ethiopia who’d soon be vultures prey
She begged the world to do something, much to her dismay
To those orphaned in Ireland who had lost their near and dear
The Mother gave them faith to live and told them not to live with fear
To the handicapped in Aussie who had stumps instead of feet
Her compassion reassured them and helped them make ends meet
To the lonely and unwanted whose hearts just seemed to ache
She treated them with dignity so their lives they wouldn’t take
With gentle words of comfort and eyes so filled with pain
She worked in slums and footpaths that politicians would disdain
While some would shrink in horror at the sight of maggot ridden folk
She cleaned their wounds and nursed them, and her love in them would soak
With boundless faith and courage and a spirit that was strong
She changed the lives of many, while she taught them right from wrong
A statue in her name, was the last thing that she sought
For Saint Teresa of Calcutta was one who couldn’t be bought
Anita Britto is an Indian Newslink reader based in Auckland
