on the Jericho road
My Son and His usual
followers
passed through a vale
of abundant
sycamore trees, verdant
and yet
so less in value than the
mighty cedars of Lebanon,
once felled for the lofty temple,
about to be bereft, left;
then, verily, He paused, among
them there
in the restful shade
of the humble sycamores to
gaze round about Him, the lowly
Temple about to be Treed, He felt
for the right
therefore to say,
: and then there was
the neighbor
who
allowed how her hearth had
fallen dark
in the night; and so
in the morn
she appealed to
her neighbor whose
hearth burned bright in the daylight
‘o, give to me,’ says she
out of her darkness
to customary carry in a
pot upon my head
some coals from your fire
that I might re-light
my hearth’; and
her neighbor in reply
said unto her, ‘as you have said,
let it be thus unto you’
and I say, in place of
My Son
how much more constrained
would it be
if that darksome neighbor were
the village gossip
who’d oft profaned the name
of her lightsome neighbor,
lo, if even she were an enemy
in the darkness
and yet
with those coals of fire
heaped upon her head
how then those others in the village seeing
her return into her own home
yea, in such manner
still I ponder thus:
what will the neighbors think?
Carl Winderl’s poem ‘many people shy’ appeared in the award-winning 2018 issue of “The Ravens Perch.” These five poems are from “The Lost Parables of Jesus,” subtitled ‘as remembered by His Mother on the Road to Jerusalem,’ to be published later this year by Finishing Line Press.
Very soothing, yet thought provoking. I enjoyed these words.
A sensitive, evocative poem which illuminates the truth of the Gospel.
Very thoughtful, cause for reflection… and stillness.
Blessings to you Carl
My first impression was the old quartet song “On the Jericho Road” and then they sycamores in Back Home in Indiana! Not trying to be trite – just brought up those memories. How many times have we let our fire go out? Interesting that she asked for coals out of her darkness even though it was light outside. As to who or what “lights our fire again” can be relevant in today’s world, but the real necessity is that light comes into our lives no matter who, what or consequences.
Lots to think about Carl. I hope I didn’t read too much into this.
And the lyrics to the song really do meld with the poem.
As you travel along on the Jericho Road
Does the world seem all wrong and heavy your load
Just bring it to Christ, your sins all confess
On the Jericho Road your heart will be blessed
On the Jericho Road there’s room for just two
No more and no less just Jesus and you
Each burden He’ll bear, each sorrow He’ll share
There’s never a care for Jesus is there
Oh, brother to you this message I bring
Though hope may be gone He’ll cause you to sing
At Jesus’ command sins shackles must fall
On the Jericho Road will you answer His call
On the Jericho Road there’s room for just two
No more and no less just Jesus and you
Each burden He’ll bear, each sorrow He’ll share
There’s never a care for Jesus is there
On the Jericho Road
Gossips can be transformed into great evangelists.
Loved the word play – with history, large and small, folding in on itself.
Thought provoking turns of phrases: sins shackles; heaped upon her head . . .
Carl has a wonderful way of setting the stage and letting the story unfold.