You have a playful, loving smile
that was delightfully disarming,
You have pleasant, penetrating eyes
that looked deep into our souls,
As a humble seminarian you silently
evaded the nefarious Nazis,
Years later, your heroic words crushed
the cold-hearted Communists;
Your valiant, victorious voice was
carried on the wondrous wings
Of the cheerful cherubim who raced
round the globe and rained down
On the world your heavenly hope
and wonderful words of wisdom.
You are a saint for our century:
poignant poet, daring dramatist,
Protector of the powerless,
merciful mystic, pro-life pope,
And stalwart spearhead who ignited
the fire of the New Evangelization;
Your hideous opponent the devil,
like a sly, sneaky soccer player,
Tantalizingly tried to kick abortion
through Holy Church’s doors, but
As the goalie of the Chair of St. Peter,
you flicked away temptation,
With your rock-solid shepherd’s staff
gripped in your warrior-like hands.
In Poland, you relentlessly pursued
Christ’s love even though
You had to trudge terribly through
the dreadful, dreary dark night
Of Nazi dictatorship, and you had
to bear the wicked weight of the
Cruel, crafty Communists in your
beloved, historic city of Krakow;
Through your remarkable writings
you lifted us ever so high in the air
In a Heaven-bound spiral, far far above
the murky mist of moral relativism
And into the sublime, sunny splendor
Of Christ’s truth and freedom.