Ever Felt This Way?

Ever Felt This Way?

by Seah Greenhorn
(Poem with copyright)

"Fork it over!"

Ever heard that phrase?

Why ... I visualized lips
speaking this;

the words
bouncing

a fast-paced ping pong ball
smashed

by the paddle of my rationale,
against the inner workings
of my head.

I felt berated;
bullied, at best.

My patience screaming:
"A test

of my patience!"

My heart now weighted,
my pockets lead, since
family begs me for daily bread.

Suddenly, my mind flew
back in time. The phrase--
not new!

For didn't Eli the priest have two sons
disloyal, greedy, wicked
hypocritical ones

who though
positioned so reverently
as holy before men

would poke into the basin,
the cauldron, or one
two-handed cooking pot
with a three-pronged fork
spearing choice pieces of meat--
though, of course not pork.

Before the sacrifices started to smoke
these men treated first-fruits to God
as a pathetic joke.

These tyrants and oppressors
through their attendants spoke:

"Give the priest meat to roast ...
Give it to me now, if not,
I will take it by force!"

(As if treating disrespectfully
the offerings to God
proved to be simply
a matter of natural course.)

Does this account seem to you
as if saying: "Fork it over?"

So that day I left worship praying
for the meaning of Jesus words
praising:

"Truly  I say ... this poor widow
put in more than they all did.
For all of these put in gifts
out of their surplus,
but she,

out of her want..."

Her whole entire
means of living.

I realize ...

"I'll too give
according
to my deepest desire."

Not be belittled.
Just be inspired.

My love
for the Creator
and his Son

setting my spirit aglow.

My goal
to please them now...

A consuming fire!

Based on 1 Samuel 2:12-17; Luke 21:1-4; 2 Cor. 9:7.