Stories by the Ocean

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!”

Then the disciples came and asked Jesus, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” He answered, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. The reason I speak to them in parables is that ‘seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.’ With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah that says:

‘You will indeed listen, but never understand, and you will indeed look, but never perceive. For this people’s heart has grown dull, and their ears are hard of hearing,
and they have shut their eyes; so that they might not look with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and understand with their heart and turn—and I would heal them.’ “But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.” Matthew 13:1-16

Stories by the Ocean

Huddled around a bonfire late
we listened to their stories
we heard them tell of great events 
wondering whether they were true.

We sang songs after midnight
the stars and moon dancing along
we promised great impossible things
knowing we had very little power.

We grew through time and became
story tellers to our own children
impossible love and survival
every word we said was true.

They couldn't or didn't believe
we seems so feeble and old
to them we were just lame dreamers
adults who had lost their way.

Love has made the stories possible
the dead and broken made alive
we buried the seeds and tended gardens
they all exploded with  new life.