By: Melanie Barbato

Evil baffles me
Not because it is alien to me
– no evil is-
But because for each
Weakness, perversion,
I fight in myself
There marches
An army of fools
That has turned them
Into their creed

I am an ordinary woman
Not someone who takes on the world
But this is my spur

That though sometimes hidden
There is equal in number
A band of saints
Those who perfected
My good dispositions
Their sphere starting
Right next to me
So that if I move
Only one step
In their right direction
For any cause
We can tip the scales

*****

Melanie Barbato is currently completing her doctoral studies in Indology and Religious Studies at LMU Munich/ Germany. Her poetry is inspired by her academic background, her family and her Catholic faith.