Weeds

He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’” Matthew 13:24-30

Weeds

We planted in straight lines
water and waited and the good seed
came up random and crooked
surrounded by weeds
tender and young the weeding
would have destroyed new life.

We were careful with the fragile shoots
slim and reaching for light and rain
we watched and prayed that a good crop
would find its way to the table
and the weeds were strong and hardy
standing tall taunting and fierce
interwoven with the tender sprigs.

We sweated as the flowers appeared
night watering and hoeing around
the removed weeds came back again
more strident than ever more resistant
to our labor and our prayers.

We went to the garden early
in the morning and tender fruit
hanging on strong vines timid no longer
but upright and abundantly alive
the weeds now overshadowed by life
fears covered over by blessing.

We walk in the evening and listen
all nature gathers round the garden
a song of thanksgiving for living
a trust deeper than strong roots
a faithfulness older than time
a surety regular and growing
the Creator in the garden
whispers a song of plenty
as we take the whither weeds away.