Devotions for Communion.

Before Communion

Direct Your Intention
O Lord Jesus Christ, King of everlasting glory, behold I desire to come to Thee this day, and to receive Thy Body and Blood in this heavenly Sacrament, for Thy honour and glory, and the good of my soul. I desire to receive Thee, because it is Thy desire and Thou hast so ordained: blessed be Thy Name for ever. I desire to come to Thee like the Magadalen, that I may be delievered from all my evils, and embrace Thee, my only Good. I desire to come to Thee, that I may be happily united to Thee, that I may henceforth abide in Thee, and Thou in me; and that nothing in life or death may ever separate me from Thee.

Commemorate the Passion of Christ

I desire, in these holy Mysteries, to commemorate as Thou hast commanded, all Thy sufferings; Thine agony and bloody sweat; Thy being betrayed and apprehended; all the reproached and calumnies, all the scoffs and affronts, all the blows and buffets Thou hast endured for me; Thy being scourged, crowned with thorns, and loaded with a heavy cross for my sins, and for those of the whole world; Thy crucifixion and death, togther with Thy glorious Resurrection and trimphant Ascension. I adore Thee, and give Thee thanks for all that thou hast done and suffered for us, and for giving us in this Blessed Sacrament this pledge of our redemption, this Victim of our ransom, this Body and Blood which was offered us.

Act of Love

As the hart panteth after the fountains of water, so my soul panteth after Thee, O God! "My soul hath thirsted after the strong, living God; when shall I come and appear before the face of God?" "For what have I in heaven? And besides Thee, what do I desire on earth?" Let blind and infatuated worldlings intoxicate themselves with the false, transient, and fading happiness of this life; for my part, nothing besides Thyself can content me, either in heaven or on earth. Come then, O Thou Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world! Come, Thou beloved of my heart! Adorable Flesh and precious Blood of my Saviour! Come, to nourish, comfort, and enliven my sickly soul. O God of my heart! Let me neither love, seek, nor think of any other object but Thyself alone; for Thou alone art my consolation, my treasure, my joy, my life, my all!

"My heart and my flesh have rejoiced in the living God... Thou art, O Lord of hosts! My King and my God!" "Who will give me wings like a dove and I will fly and be at rest!"

Act of Humility

O GOD of sanctity! Who am I, that Thou shouldst come to me? "The heavens are not pure in Thy sight," and wilt Thou dwell in my heart? "Lord! I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter under my roof." The consciousness of my unworthiness would prompt me to exclaim: "Depart from me, O Lord! For I am a sinner." But oh, the wonderful condescension of Thy love! Thy pressing invitation encourages me, and dispels my fears. "Here I am, for Thou didst call me." Come then, O Jesus! Take possession of a heart that wishes to belong to Thee. "Behold! They that go far from Thee shall perish." But, O my God! this house of my heart is too narrow for Thee: do Thou enlarge it; it is falling to ruin; do Thou repair it; it has been defiled by sin: do Thou cleanse and purify it. Look Thou upon me, and have mercy on me. Oh, heal my soul, for I have sinned against Thee! Let Thy tender mercies come unto me, and I shall live! Lord! I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter under my roof; say but the word, and my soul shall be healed.

Prayer of St Thomas Aquinas

Almighty and Eternal God, behold I come to the sacrament of Your only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. As one sick I come to the Physician of life; unclean, to the Fountain of mercy; blind, to the Light of eternal splendor; poor and needy to the Lord of heaven and earth. Therefore, I beg of You, through Your infinite mercy and generosity, heal my weakness, wash my uncleanness, give light to my blindness, enrich my poverty, and clothe my nakedness. May I thus receive the Bread of Angels, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, with such reverence and humility, contrition and devotion, purity and faith, purpose and intention, as shall aid my soul’s salvation.

Grant, I beg of You, that I may receive not only the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of our Lord, but also its full grace and power. Give me the grace, most merciful God, to receive the Body of your only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin Mary, in such a manner that I may deserve to be intimately united with His mystical Body and to be numbered among His members. Most loving Father, grant that I may behold for all eternity face to face Your beloved Son, whom now, on my pilgrimage, I am about to receive under the sacramental veil, who lives and reigns with You, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.

Prayers After Communion

Prayer of St Thomas Aquinas

I thank You, Lord, Almighty Father, Everlasting God, for having been pleased, through no merit of mine, but of Your great mercy alone, to feed me, a sinner, and Your unworthy servant, with the precious Body and Blood of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that this Holy Communion may not be for my judgment and condemnation, but for my pardon and salvation. Let this Holy Communion be to me an armor of faith and a shield of good will, a cleansing of all vices, and a rooting out of all evil desires. May it increase love and patience, humility and obedience, and all virtues. May it be a firm defense against the evil designs of all my visible and invisible enemies, a prefect quieting of all the desires of soul and body. May this Holy Communion bring about a perfect union with You, the one true God, and at last enable me to reach eternal bliss when You will call me. I pray that You bring me, a sinner, to the indescribable Feast where You, with Your Son and the Holy Spirit, are to Your saints true light, full blessedness, everlasting joy, and perfect happiness. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen

Anima Christi

Soul of Christ, sanctify me.

Body of Christ, save me.

Blood of Christ, inebriate me.

Water from the side of Christ, wash me.

Passion of Christ, strengthen me.

O good Jesus, hear me.

Within Thy wounds, hide me.

Suffer me not to be separated from Thee.

From the malignant enemy defend me.
In the hour of my death call me.

And bid me come to Thee.
That with Thy Saints I may praise Thee

For ever and ever. Amen.

Prayer of St Bonadventure

Pierce, O most sweet Lord Jesus, my inmost soul with the most joyous and healthful wound of Thy love, and with true, calm and most holy apostolic charity, that my soul may ever languish and melt with entire love and longing for Thee, may yearn for Thee and for thy courts, may long to be dissolved and to be with Thee.
Grant that my soul may hunger after Thee, the Bread of Angels, the refreshment of holy souls, our daily and super substantial bread, having all sweetness and savor and every delightful taste.
May my heart ever hunger after and feed upon Thee, Whom the angels desire to look upon, and may my inmost soul be filled with the sweetness of Thy savor; may it ever thirst for Thee, the fountain of life, the fountain of wisdom and knowledge, the fountain of eternal light, the torrent of pleasure, the fullness of the house of God;
may it ever compass Thee, seek Thee, find Thee, run to Thee, come up to Thee, meditate on Thee, speak of Thee, and do all for the praise and glory of Thy name, with humility and discretion, with love and delight, with ease and affection, with perseverance to the end; and be Thou alone ever my hope, my entire confidence, my riches, my delight, my pleasure, my joy, my rest and tranquility, my peace, my sweetness, my food, my refreshment, my refuge, my help, my wisdom, my portion, my possession, my treasure; in Whom may my mind and my heart be ever fixed and firm and rooted immovably. Amen

Prayer of St Augustine

Before Thy eyes, O Lord, we bring our offences, and we compare them with the stripes we have received.
If we consider the evil we have wrought, what we suffer is little, what we deserve is great.
What we have committed is very grave, what we have suffered is very slight.
We feel the punishment of sin, yet withdraw not from the obstinacy of sinning.
Under Thy lash our inconstancy is visited, but our sinfulness is not changed.
Our suffering soul is tonnented, but our neck is not bent.
Our life groans under sorrow, yet mends not in deed.
If Thou spare us we correct not our ways: if Thou punish we cannot endure it.
In time of correction we confess our wrong-doing: after Thy visitation we forget that we have wept.
If Thou stretchest forth Thy hand we promise amendment; if Thou withholdest the sword we keep not our promise.
If Thou strikest we cry out for mercy: if Thou sparest we again provoke Thee to strike.
Here we are before Thee, O Lord, shameless criminals: we know that unless Thou pardon we shall deservedly perish.
Grant then, almighty Father, without our deserving it, the pardon we ask for; Thou who madest out of nothing those who ask Thee.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

V. Deal not with us, O Lord, according to our sins.
R. Neither requite Us according to our iniquities.

Let us pray.

O God, Who by sin art offended and by penance pacified, mercifully regard the prayers of Thy suppliant people, and turn away the scourges of Thy wrath, which we deserve for our sins. Through Christ our Lord. R. Amen.

Obsecro Te

I Beseech Thee,
most sweet Lord Jesus Christ,
that Thy Passion may be to me power
by which I may be strengthened,
protected and defended.

May Thy wounds be to me food
and drink by which I may be nourished,
inebriated, and delighted.

May the sprinkling of Thy Blood be to me
an ablution for all my sins.

May Thy death prove for me unfailing life,
and may Thy Cross be to me eternal glory.

In these be my refreshment,
joy, health, and delight of my heart:
Thou who livest and reignest forever.

Amen.

Act of Resignation to the Divine Wall

O Lord my God, I now at this moment, readily and willingly accept at Thy hand whatever kind of death it may please The to send me, with all its pains, penalties and sorrows.

Indulgence Prayer Before a Crucifix

(En ego, O bene et dulcissime Iesus)

BEHOLD, O good and sweetest Jesus,
I cast myself upon my knees in Thy sight,
and with the most fervent desire of my soul
I pray and beseech Thee
to impress upon my heart
lively sentiments of faith,
hope and charity,
with true repentance for my sins
and a most firm desire of amendment:
whilst with deep affection and grief of soul
I consider within myself
and mentally contemplate Thy five most precious Wounds,
having before mine eyes that which David, the prophet,
long ago spoke in Thine own person concerning Thee,
my Jesus: “They have pierced My hands and My feet,
they have numbered all My bones.”

A Universal Prayer For All Things Necessary to Salvation

O my God, I believe in Thee; do Thou strengthen my faith. All my hopes are in Thee; do Thou secure them. I love Thee with my whole heart; teach me to love Thee daily more and more. I am sorry that I have offended Thee; do Thou increase my sorrow.
I adore Thee as my first beginning; I aspire after Thee as my last end. I give Thee thanks as my constant benefactor; I call upon Thee as my sovereign protector.
Vouchsafe, O my God, to conduct me by Thy wisdom, to restrain me by Thy justice, to comfort me by Thy mercy, to defend me by Thy power.
To Thee I desire to consecrate all my thoughts, words, actions, and sufferings; that henceforward I may think only of Thee, speak of Thee, refer all my actions to Thy greater glory, and suffer willingly whatever Thou shallt appoint.
Lord, I desire that in all thigs Thy will may be done, because it is Thy will, and in the manner that Thou willest.
I beg of Thee to enlighten my understanding, to inflame my heart, to purify my body, and to sanctify my soul.
Give me strength, O my God, to expiate my offenses, to overcome my temptations, to subdue my passions, and to acquire the virtues proper for my state.
Fill my heart with tender affection for Thy goodness, hatred of my faults, love of my neighbor, and contempt of the world.
Let me always remember to be submissive to my superiors, condescending to my inferiors, faithful to my freinds, and charitable to my enemies.
Assist me to overcome sensuality by mortification, avarice by alms-deeds, anger by meekness, and tepidity by devotion.
O my God, make me prudent in my undertakings, courageous in dangers, patient in affliction, and humble in prosperity.
Grant hat I may be ever attentive at my prayers, temperate at my meals, diligent at my employments, and constant in my resolutions.
Let my conscience be ever upright and pure, my exterior modest, my conversation edifying, and my comportment regular.
Assist me that I may continually labor to overcome nature, to correspond with Thy grace, to keep Thy commandments, and to work out my salvation.
Discover to me, O my God, the nothingness of this world, the greatness of heaven, the shortness of time, and the length of eternity.
Grant that I may prepare for death; that I may fear Thy judgments, escape hell, and in the end obtain heaven; through Jesus Christ, my Lord. Amen.

5 Ways to Get the Most Out of Mass

I am writing today because I can no longer study for the rest of the night. Not that I’ve actually finished much work, but it’s a combination of the remaining holiday inertia and forgetting to bring my ADHD meds to Dublin.

Anyway, I am writing because I feel that the average Catholic has a very poor idea of what he is doing at Holy Mass, but on some level desires for much more. If this is you, my dear reader, then please read on and consider what advice I have to offer. If it is not, then please do it share it with a friend who could use it. Now, I shall attempt to keep this as succinct and concise as I can, a great feat if one considers how verbose I usually am.

A priest on youtube once commented how youth find the Mass boring, to which he replied, ‘No, the Mass isn’t boring, YOU’RE BORING!’ When you consider it, the Mass is just about the greatest, most exciting thing in the entire universe. Well, in fact, it actually is. It the very sacrifice of the Saviour of the World, for the redemption of mankind, unfolding, mystically, before your eyes. It is an opportunity for you to enter into the court of God, and hold an audience with Him. So, if you find it boring, then you’re probably a boring person. How can you fix that? Be pro-active in your preparation for Mass. Here are 5 ways to get the most of Mass.

I. PREPARE FOR MASS.

Mass should be the centre of your life, especially on a Sunday. Get into the habit of planning your Sunday around Mass and not the other way around. Don’t just decide to hear the evening Mass on Saturday or Sunday because you want to sleep in. Make sure you dress well, you are going to be in presence of the your Creator and of the whole universe, if you think he’s important, then dress well. Dress modestly too, then you won’t distract people and you won’t worry about people staring at you. That includes the boys as well, who enjoy spray painting their t-shirts onto themselves.

Go for Confession before Mass! Right before Mass if possible, if not, at least 24 hours before. This will get you in the right disposition for Mass and to receive Holy Communion. It will ensure, beyond a doubt that your soul is in a state of sanctifying grace. If you think this is too serious, well, sure if you’re absolutely sure you haven’t sinned all week. Do remember that you are receiving the most sacred (Sacratissimum), you should make sure that you are pure and in sanctifying grace. After all, you are about to become a living Tabernacle for the Sacratissimum. The Holy Church requires that the Sacred Vessels use to contain our Blessed Lord must be made purely of precious metals, that is gold or silver, where possible. And if it is not, then they should be of metal, with the inside gilded and plated with gold. If, Holy Mother Church goes through so much trouble to ensure that her Thrice Holy Spouse is well handled when He visits upon the altar, what more can you do to make yourself as pure as possible to contain the most Sacred? Go for confession.

That means you should be at Church early! Try to get there ten to fifteen minutes before Mass starts; more if you need to go for confession, so that you can pray and put yourself in the right disposition for Mass. Remember, you are not there to attend Mass, you are there to ASSIST at Mass, together with the priest, in offering it for intentions of Christ and other immortal holy souls. Here are some prayers that you can say before Mass in preparation for communion and after receiving communion. Copy and paste them into a word processor and print them out, and always take them with you to Mass.

II. GET A HAND MISSAL.

You can find most of these in a good hand missal. The 1962 hand missals usually have these prayers before communion. For the Mass in the Ordinary Form, I recommend the CTS Missal. It is very good and comes in both a Sunday and Daily Missal format.

A missal also comes in handy as it allows you to properly follow the priest as he prays. St Leonard teaches that one way to assist at Mass is to pray along with the priest. You cannot do that passively listening to what he says unless you have eidetic memory. So, you’ll need a missal. The Saint also teaches that the other way to pray is to know what the priest is praying for an offer our own prayers for the same thing along with the priest. I can imagine St Thérèse doing that. To do that you'll...need your a missal.

If your church provides a missal in the pews, you can use that temporarily, but having your own is most beneficial. It is yours and it is personal, you will know where everything is in that missal, the location of all the prayers and so on. These missals also usually provide little tidbits of information, prayers and devotions and so on. For example, My Baronius has all the important things a Catholic needs to know like the six precepts of the Church, the four cardinal virtues, the ten commandments, etc.

Now, they are not cheap, and may cost up to $100, but they will last you for decades, and the spiritual graces you will get out of using them will outweigh the cost price. Don’t stinge on God and your salvation.

Also, you may have now realised that you might actually have to lug the book to Mass every time you go. Such a chore, you might think, especially you boys who don’t have handbags and don’t like the thought of carrying a bag everywhere. Well man up kids! That missal is like 500g; Christ carried a 200kg cross so that He could see you in heaven. Don’t disappoint Him.

III. BE PRESENT AT THE CONSECRATION

Whether or not you are receiving communion (yes! It is NOT necessary to receive communion every week, or every time you are at Holy Mass; though it is a good practice and one that MUST be supplemented by regular confession), pay attention during the consecration of the bread and wine into the most delightful and Holy Body and Blood of Christ your saviour. This is the most important part of the Mass. The Crux of it all.

When the priest bows to say the words of consecration, bow with him, when he elevates the Sacratissimum after consecration, he is offering up Christ, the perfect and spotless sacrifice, to God the Father. Look up and adore your God and whisper, ‘MY LORD AND MY GOD!’ and mean it with all your heart.

Do the same thing at the elevation of the chalice containing the precious blood, this time whispering, ‘Be mindful, O Lord, of thy creature, whom thou has redeemed through thy most precious blood.’

This is precisely the moment that Christ Himself has become fully and supernaturally present on the altar. The bells ring and draw our attention to this so that we may adore Him as the priest offers this sacrifice to God the Father and the angels hastily take it to heaven.

IV. RECEIVE COMMUNION KNEELING AND ON THE TONGUE

Contrary to René Descartes’ popular philosophy, we are not the separation of our body and soul, mind and spirit. They are one. That is we are body and soul, mind and spirit, and therefore we must not only use our soul, mind and spirit in the worship of God (the interior things), but also our bodies in our worship (the exterior). St Thomas teaches that the interior acts of worship are expressed through our exterior acts and that is why, you kneel throughout consecration, and you bow when the priest genuflects or bows before the most Blessed Sacrament (except when he is leaving the sanctuary, that is at the start and end of Mass).

Which brings me to the most difficult suggestion. Receive communion in the preferred and traditional way of the Holy Mother Church: kneeling and on the tongue. Yes, it is going to be difficult, but if you try it out for a month, you will find your appreciation of the Mass and of God will change. If not, I will buy you dinner. Here are some video reasons, since we all have short attention spans, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jii6NCfTW68 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXzsyuytMlQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ap1KL2D5ae4

That’s a bishop, TWO cardinals and THE POPE who are saying receive communion on the tongue. If that's not enough, here are more reasons: http://www.communion-in-the-hand.org/videos.html

When we kneel, we remind ourselves that we are before God Himself. When we receive communion on the tongue, we remind ourselves of our humility, and complete dependence of Christ, represented by His Holy Priest. The truth about that the Blessed Sacrament is truly Christ Himself will always be so, regardless of whether we believe in it. As being of perception, we need to continuously remind ourselves of this truth, and that is through the actions we perform when we receive this most sacred gift. Being fed brings us back to that CHILDLIKE nature crucial for salvation. Being fed allows us to submit ourselves to Christ!

Also, we remind ourselves of our unworthiness to receive Christ, and we remind ourselves of the dignity and privilege afforded to His chosen priests. Our hands are unclean and unconsecrated and unworthy. 'Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only to say the words and my soul shall be healed.' How blessed are the hands of whom Christ has chosen to hold Him.

I know this is very difficult for some people to do initially, however, it is an opportunity to open your heart to Christ and to ask Him for the grace and courage to deny oneself and to die to oneself for Him. I will pray for you too.

V. LEARN ABOUT THE MASS.

You have been given the gift of intelligence, enough that you can read and understand texts, like this article. So it is obligatory for you to use this gift from God to learn more about His Holy Mass. Here is a good website, it is a book by DOM Prosper Guéranger. It explains the Tridentine Mass though. However, the current Mass is a development from the Tridentine, and has left out some parts. Understanding the Tridentine Mass will allow you to understand the current Mass. It is a very good read.

Also, I recommend getting a copy of St Leonard’s The Hidden Treasure and the Pope’s book, Spirit in the Liturgy.

Here is Archbishop Fulton Sheen explaining the meaning of Masshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UabMF-8uXxg
And describing the various parts of Mass http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6AOvStZS64

Try all these things out for a month, and see if your appreciation of Mass improves. Most importantly, pray and ask God to give you the grace to appreciate His Holy Mass better.

The Universality of the One True Church.

The third mark of the true Church as professed in the Nicene Creed is that it is ‘Catholic’, from the greek καθολικός, meaning ‘universal’. This is what I love about her, she is the universal Church, a church for all. She provides a means of salvation for everyone, sinners and saints, regardless of colour, language, culture, or depth of depravity. To each one of these, she provides the same means of salvation: the thrice holy sacrifice of the God-Man, Jesus Christ, in the Mass.

Many, many people with good intentions misunderstand this one fact of the universality of the one true Church. They understand the term to mean ecumenism, acceptance, multiculturalism and plurality of practice. Many of the Catholics I have spoken to keep this weird notion of many roads to salvation, many different spiritual practices. For those enjoy it, there is the Latin Mass, and the rest who want to understand what is going on can attend Mass in the vernacular. Those appreciate it can have chant at Mass, the rest can have praise and worship songs or hymns. Even worse are the ones who don’t believe in the superiority of the Catholic Church over all other religions.

I had a very disturbing conversation with a priest about the starting a Catholic Society in School, and he was not to happy that I wanted to make the liturgy and prayer the foundation and cornerstone of the group. He was worried that people with other spiritual inclinations, like providing care for the others, and corporal acts of mercy would get side lined. The childish pluralistic idea that Catholicism is a buffet with something for everyone!

No, the universality of the Church is not a buffet with things to chose from, the universality of the Church is that there is one sure way to salvation, the cross. To put God at the centre of one’s life, to be completely obedient to the divine will, to go for Mass and receive communion. ‘He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath everlasting life: and I will raise him up in the last day’. That is the Holy Mass. The religious orders are all the same, the Mass and prayer, and obedience to the divine will are at the centre of these orders, regardless of the minor differences in their expression of spirituality. The Little Sisters of the Poor, in keeping Christ at the centre of their lives, would put down their spoons during feeding time when the bell for prayer rang. In a letter to her sister, there is evidence that St Thérèse of Liseux put down her pen in midstroke to obey the bell.

That is the true universality of the Church, the one means to salvation, through Christ, her spouse. It doesn’t matter if one attends the Novus Ordo in English or the Tridentine Mass in Latin; they are the same Mass. That sacrifice is the one and the same sacrifice of Christ on Calvary. And, there could never be anything less exciting than the Mass. The Mass is where one finds Christ, truly present, in the most Blessed Sacrament! Assisting at Mass is where we participate together with the Christ in the salvation and conversion of souls! The Mass is where you get to meet your God, the God who created everything and everyone in the world, with love, regardless of their belief in Him. If anyone is to be converted to the truth, to belief in Christ, it would not be through endless hours of theological debate, it will be through the graces earned the Holy Mass.

And that is what we as youth need! What we want! Enough of this nonsense of making Mass accessible to youth! Enough of appealing to our hormonal emotions and desire for endorphins. Give us Christ! Give us His Mass in all its splendour! Teach it to us! Enough of bishops, priests and religious camouflaging themselves in civilian attire! Are they not the spouses of Christ, why do they not wear the very wedding gowns and collars that symbolize their fidelity and submission to Him? People complain that they won’t be able to appreciate chant, they won’t be able to understand the Mass if it was in Latin. Then learn about it! Listen to it, read up about it. We live in a world where all these things are accessible to us via a few keystrokes. So if it is inaccessible to you, it is only because you are lazy. That’s why. Why do you not make the effort to learn about the most exciting thing in your life: Christ? And if you are not excited, perhaps you should ask yourself, is Christ really the centre of my life?

Stop waiting around for Christ to come down and teach it to you Himself. He has already come once for our redemption. The next time He comes will be at the of time, to judge the living and the dead. Do really want to wait that long to learn more about Him? It will soon be a lent, what a better time to reconcile with Him and learn about his sacrifice!

‘Ask and ye shall receive’.

Mad Girl's Love Song

Slyvia Plath

"I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead;
I lift my lids and all is born again.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

The stars go waltzing out in blue and red,
And arbitrary blackness gallops in:
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.

I dreamed that you bewitched me into bed
And sung me moon-struck, kissed me quite insane.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

God topples from the sky, hell's fires fade:
Exit seraphim and Satan's men:
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.

I fancied you'd return the way you said,
But I grow old and I forget your name.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

I should have loved a thunderbird instead;
At least when spring comes they roar back again.
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)"