Sprouts, Soil & Leaves

2023
Photo by Teresa Rafifi

Poem No. 63
by Jan Onberg

You plant a seed with tender care,
You feed it and water it, and you’re suddenly aware
of a growing concern for the life of it there;
But you watch and you wait, as long days languish,
Your hope is fading, and your heart knows the anguish
of despair, for the tiny seed, sleeping there.

There, in time the gentle rain, and the warmth of the Sun,
Reveal evidence of a life begun,
As the earth stirs, and Behold! A tender shoot!
And you know at last, the seed has taken root!
In hope it was sown, and in Love it has grown,
watered with faith, and a patience, not your own.

Suddenly rejoicing, yet humble, you know
That it was not you who caused the seed to grow;
But our Father in Heaven, on His throne above
Has looked down and has seen your labor of love;
And the Power of His Love on the seed He bestows,
And drinking the “gentle rain” of His Spirit, it grows.

Then, as he brings forth its tender leaf,
Your own faith is strengthened in the belief,
That by His Hand are all things made,
And that even a tiny seed can someday give shade;
If through the weeds, and storms of strife,
It survives the pain, and discovers Life!