Sister Fatima

Somewhere between the rock-ribbed skepticism that is satisfied with saying “no” and the credulity of true belief in the supernatural – or maybe not between those poles, but the third point in a triangle – is the sentiment of poetic faith expressed in legendary singer/songwriter Don McLean’s haunting Sister Fatima.

Lyrically inspired by the text of a flyer for a Times Square “psychic medium”, the song subtly evokes Sister Fatima’s “restorations” as experiences of kindness and simple wisdom, regardless of whether or not she literally has “God-given powers”.

The flower is free …

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