Anthony, the agonist of God,
Had a false back wall in his cell
That opened as he slept.
Demons swirled from deepest hell
And vortexed round his bed
And hung by scaly tails
And bit his faith.
He fought by chanting psalms.
The devils shrieked in starved
And oversized disguises.
Finally, shriveled from disdain.
He hollowed out their skulls
For cups. He hung their pelts
upon his granite walls for liturgies
Which no one saw.
Then Anthony, the agonist of God,
Wove willows into baskets
For the village poor.