St. Nicholas of Myra

[deckardcanine]

St. Nicholas of Myra left no records—no surprise,
As Rome was then chaotic. If his tales are not all lies,
He may have been a bishop put in prison for his creed
But then released by Constantine, with whom his faith agreed.

The miracles attributed to Nick are quite a few.
I won’t describe them all, but one example ought to do:
He calmed a storm while sailing to the Holy Land and thus
Is patron saint of travelers (that’s likely all of us).

Some say that he attended the first Council of Nicaea,
Where Arius he struck for a heretical idea,
And thus the council had him temporarily defrocked.
This claim arrived much later; if it’s truthful, I’ll be shocked.

A famous tale concerns a man too needy to afford
His daughters’ weddings. Hearing he was faithful to the Lord,
St. Nicholas approached his house at night and threw a purse
Of gold in through a window for a dowry to disburse.

This happened two more times before the father saw the giver,
Knelt down and thanked him greatly for the gold he did deliver.
St. Nicholas insisted that they shouldn’t tell a soul.
So how’d we come to learn it? Does the story have a hole?

Regardless, generosity is still his claim to fame.
About his only other constant aspect is his name.
The version of St. Nicholas we tend to see today
Is very far removed; I won’t ask how he got that way.