The Children's Crumbs

From there Jesus set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syro-phoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” But she answered him, “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” Then he said to her, “For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.” So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.
Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. They were astounded beyond measure, saying, “He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.” Mark 7:24-37 

The Children's Crumbs

It is thought that we should receive less
when we have given our all
shared our bountiful and beautiful land
made room for the princes and the theives.

We fed the bedraggled winter arrivals 
taught them to plant and hunt here
showed the how to read this world
they wanted us to read their books.

We sheltered the children of the innocent
and swam across deep rivers to survive
we were infected with foreign disease
given blankets to wrap the dying.

Even the living God had to learn
to heal the stranger as well as his own
each of has to learn the generosity
that is the heart of the Creator.

We taught our children without books
to be noble, respectful and kind
to honor all the relatives, two and four legged
to rest and live in harmony with the Divine.

We are more than dogs and crumb eaters
we are the inheritors of the loving One
the heart beat that drums throughout our lives
and walks over with us into eternity.