St. Kevin of Glendalough lived in a cave, hidden from the world. He was eventually discovered and coaxed back to the world to share the fruits of his labors.
The first Kevin ever loved animals more than life,
Robed at seven, this love was tested for forty days and nights,
Into open hands outstretched, a blackbird built its nest,
And fed Kevin with berries and nuts, till he had passed his test,
Like a bear he slept in a cave,
And stood in prayer in an icy lake,
An otter brought him fish to sustain,
Far from human contact he remained,
Dima’s prodigal cow delighted Dima with surreal oceans of white,
He followed the cow to discover Kevin was the source of light,
Fell on his knees to recover the humanity he’d gone to seek,
Out of love Kevin returned to the world to gather sheep,
King O’Toole’s beloved goose was rickety,
He asked Kevin to pray for its recovery,
In exchange Kevin would get his monastery,
Kevin prayed and the goose flew like a bee to the sea.