Poem October 2, 2023 Issue

Good ground

James Walter

The Word of God
—the precious seed of Truth—
is sown in every heart.

Though a stony place of hardened prejudice
may resist the Word;
though cherished views, long held,
may choke the Word;
though gaudy birds of distraction
may carry away the Word—singing, “Look at me!”—
still, in every heart there is good ground,
ground that accepts the seed—that loves the Word—
ground that raises up a harvest, a life transformed.

My prayer,
my earnest desire,
is to see that good ground in everyone I meet—
not to fixate on a stone,
or worry over a weed,
or be distracted by a bird,
but to see the field of good ground in all;
to bear witness to the possibility
—yea, the certainty—
of fruitage.