Poem June 12, 1995 Issue

The lad

Margaret P. Foerster

Did he catch them himself—
those two small fish?

Not that it really matters
. The fact is that he had them,
with the five barley loaves.^{See John 6:5–13 .}

Five loaves and two fish—
ample supply
for the lad
who offered them

five loaves and two fish—
never enough
for the hungry
5,000 plus.

But Jesus took them.
He knew—precedent set—
of the quails and manna;
fresh water from a rock;
meal and oil unwasted
(though not unused).
And so, substance rich,
expectant and assured,
Jesus gave thanks
and gave to his disciples,
who gave
and gave
and gave
as the lad had—freely.

I wonder what he thought,
that unselfed lad,
as he saw the fragments
(the leftovers from his
few loaves and fishes)
being gathered in baskets—full.

What a fish story he could tell.
Not of the one
that got away,
but of the two
that, with gratitude,
grew
and
grew
and
grew!