Today's Reflection...
what seed
are you?
what bird has
devoured you?
did you
have joy
without roots?
did you live
with the
thorns?
or that fertile ground
where you shall
bear fruit
a hundredfold
or just
thirty or just
nothing
but rocks
and sand?
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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Related quotes
A Sower Went out to Sow
It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep,
and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots.
Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it.
But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.'
for the Lord speaks
in parables
in the same manner that
we
who try to become poets
shall too
speak in
metaphors
sometimes
to please you
i shall only
speak
those words that
you want to hear
and not the
truth
thereof
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Today... 'The Firstfruits
For three days His body was buried in the ground.
and when they went to the tomb He could not be found.
This seed had died has now come bursting through the grave
He is the firstfruits of all those He came to save.
When the end comes and the harvest is gathered in
and innumerable saints are redeemed from sin.
He shall reign with His enemies beneath His feet
and the great plan of salvation will be complete.
For death entered creation through Adam the man
But now in Christ all will be made alive again.
For this grain of wheat fell into the ground and died
but sprang up again and its fruit had multiplied.
Not just by thirty or even a hundredfold
But countless myriads are safe within the fold.
Each of them has been purchased and cleansed by His blood
part of the kingdom He has given back to God.
(see also the additional information in the Poet's notes box below)
Upon The Barren Fig-Tree In God's Vineyard
What, barren here! in this so good a soil?
The sight of this doth make God's heart recoil
From giving thee his blessing; barren tree,
Bear fruit, or else thine end will cursed be!
Art thou not planted by the water-side?
Know'st not thy Lord by fruit is glorified?
The sentence is, Cut down the barren tree:
Bear fruit, or else thine end will cursed be.
Hast thou been digg'd about and dunged too,
Will neither patience nor yet dressing do?
The executioner is come, O tree,
Bear fruit, or else thine end will cursed be!
He that about thy roots takes pains to dig,
Would, if on thee were found but one good fig,
Preserve thee from the axe: but, barren tree,
Bear fruit, or else thy end will cursed be!
The utmost end of patience is at hand,
'Tis much if thou much longer here doth stand.
O cumber-ground, thou art a barren tree.
Bear fruit, or else thine end will cursed be!
Thy standing nor they name will help at all;
When fruitful trees are spared, thou must fall.
The axe is laid unto thy roots, O tree!
Bear fruit, or else thine end will cursed be.
poem by John Bunyan
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Bible in Poetry: Gospel of St. Mark (Chapter 4)
The parable of the sower:
As Jesus taught by the sea-side,
A multitude had gathered fast;
He sat on a boat at sea therefore;
While people stayed ashore!
He taught by mostly parables;
To know the Kingdom, it enables.
Behold, a sower went to sow;
Some seeds fell by the way-side but;
And quickly birds devoured them.
Some fell on stony ground, sans soil;
The seeds did sprout but didn’t have roots;
The scorching sun withered them all!
Some fell ’midst thorns, which choked them,
And they could not yield any fruits!
A few on ground fell that was good;
And yielded fruit, some many-fold.
And Jesus said:
“He that has ears, let him then hear.”
The meaning of the parable,
His disciples asked when alone.
To you is giv’n the pow’r to know
The mystery of God’s Kingdom;
To others, God explains the same,
Through stories called the parables.
Although they see, they can’t perceive;
And though they hear, can’t understand;
And when they get converted, then,
Their sins should be forgiven them.
The Sower is Almighty God;
The seed is Word of God, the Lord;
The ones that fell by way-side are
People who only hear the Word;
Yet, Satan steals their Word-sown heart!
The seeds that fall on stony ground
Are words that people gladly hear;
But since, they do not have firm roots,
They give them up, when trials come.
And those that fall amongst the thorns
Are people filled by worldly thoughts;
The thorns are riches / lusts of world,
Those harden hearts to spiritual things.
And those that fall on ground that’s good,
Are people who hear, live, obey:
Fruit-bearing, some a hundred-fold!
A Candle under a Bushel!
Is not a lamp placed on lamp-stand,
Or under bushel-basket / bed?
All things remain to become seen;
Ev’n secret things will come to light.
One who has ears, let him then hear!
The measure used will measure you.
To one who has, more is added;
From one with less, all is taken!
The Kingdom of God:
Jesus compared the Lord’s Kingdom,
Akin a man who scatters seed:
That grow on land, he knows not how,
Of own accord with ears, full-grain!
He wields the sickle all at once,
When harvest’s come and grain is ripe!
God’s Kingdom is like mustard-seed;
Although smallest, when sown in ground,
It grows to be the largest one,
With shady branches where birds nest!
Jesus always told parables,
As people understood with ease!
As evening came, then Jesus said,
“Let’s cross over to other side.”
By boat, He went; others followed.
A violent squall brought waves aboard.
The water filled the boat with ease
But Jesus was found deep asleep;
They woke him up and cried, “Teacher,
You do not care if we perish! ”
Jesus rebuked the wind and sea;
The wind soon ceased; the sea turned calm!
And Jesus asked, “Are you afraid?
You do not have enough of faith! ”
Awe-struck, they said to each other,
“Who’s He, whom wind and sea obey? ”
poem by John Celes
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Seed, Qou Vadis?
seed falling on the ground
brought by a night bird
wet by the rain of dusk
you have no choice
but to crack your hard covering
and then grow
some roots and leaves
in time's blessing
some flowers
then fruits
then the silence of the wilting
follows
to be back into a seed again
eaten by this night bird
and thrown back
to a distant soil
seed,
you must begin
your cycle again
for what choice do you have?
the night bird does not
even know
and the soil simply receives you
and the rain of the dusk
simply wets you
and they do not even know
what & why
they are doing all these
this is the cycle
of the seed of life
and wilting and death
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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A Bored Apple Seed............[Humor, i hope]
While sitting in our screen house I spit out one apple seed.
You'd think it would be grateful since from my mouth it had been freed.
But no, you ungrateful seed. Instead you turned and looked at me,
a frown upon your face, indeed!
You landed upon a white-painted floor plank, a few feet from the ground.
From there you saw trees and grass and bushes all around.
Perhaps you wished you had feet so you could find a spot, to sprout your stuff
instead of sitting idle, a seed without a pot.
[Or maybe you spied my bird feeders, stocked with sunflower and nyjer seed.
To them the titmice and chickadees, and goldfinches come to feed.
Could you possibly wish, if you could not sprout, to be eaten by a bird,
and vanish until the bird poops you out? ]
Where you landed it does not get wet, so you cannot reach the soil.
You look now so unhappy; I think your apple anger is about to boil.
I suppose the least I could do is give you a big kick, and knock
you off the flooring, onto fertile ground to grow into a stick.
[But I DIDN'T and now another week's gone by.]
I'm back, my little apple seed, and as I settle into my chair,
I notice a marked change in your appearance that last week wasn't there.
You no longer frown nor even look at me, sadness and anger are no longer shown,
but instead you're just a bored apple seed, like many other seeds I have known.
(Nov.2012)
poem by Bri Edwards
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A Seed Within
what are you going to do?
he might ask
are you going to wait
are you going to wait
for the seed to take root
bloom and bear fruit
leave it to me
he might say
i will give you the fruit in a capsule
you give me your seed...why toil
he would ploy
A FRUIT IN A CAPSULE IS'NT A FRUIT AT ALL
The path too is a joy
the growth too is a joy
from the seed to the fruit
a spiritual share is a joy too
the giver and the taker share the joy
if it was a share
which gave you joy
how can you use it
as a ploy
poem by Samanyan Lakshminarayanan
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The Seed
A seed
A bird had swallowed
While in fruit,
Had fallen in some rocky land
As Bird-droppings,
And sprouted into
A lovely tree,
With massive trunk
And boughs with verdant leaves,
And luscious fruits
As birds built nests
And wayfarers had shade from scorching sun!
A seed
A farmer sowed
In fertile land,
Ploughed by oxen
And sweat of brow
’neath scorching sun,
Did sprout also:
But ceased to grow
And withered
As the rains had failed
That year!
Although in both the cases
Seeds seemed similar,
Why did the farmer’s toil
Didn’t fructify?
Perhaps,
The bird had gulped
The best of fruits with seed
That grew despite the rocky soil!
Perhaps, the farmer’s work
Remained by God
Unblessed!
Man’s selfishness
At times ruins his labor great!
The heart of man matters!
Each seed
That’s sowed on earth
Grows by Heaven’s decree!
poem by John Celes
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The Seed
The wind carried the seed
Into the air to who knows where
Across the weeds, floated the seed
Until to rest on the earth, which laid bare.
And then cried the seed upon the rise
Someday I, I will be a tree,
Liken my brothers, who will be like me
And I will grow to touch the sky.
The seed again journeyed upon the wind
Over the grass and wooded paths
Above the trees, cousins to him
Past the flowers who were his friends.
While he dreamed someday; he too would have many limbs.
The seed finally lighted upon the ground
From where he chose, so his mighty roots would grow
God will water me and give me light, he cried
He will also destroy my enemies and help me rise,
But then arrived a bird, who ate the seed.
Randy L. McClave
poem by Randy McClave
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A hundredth kiss
Kss me dear kiss me a hundredfold..
This is me alone..
The hush before the night..
My action are aboveboard too much loving you
Kiss me dear kiss me a hundredfold
When still to close my eyes
the day drew to a close.
I was scare when I had open this eyes..
you did go...
kiss me dear kiss me a hundredfold
kiss me dear kiss me until the rime..
Dont makes the rigmarole...
Lets follow the bird sings..
This is me happy...
Sonnet- Nature Is Wonderful
A Banyan sapling's growing on the wall;
From near the drainage-pipe, luxuriantly;
Astonishing the people near-by all;
Its trunk looks almost like a mini-tree.
Look how, the leaves appear so verdant, stiff;
The aerial roots are three metres in length;
The tree looks gorgeous as if on a cliff;
And everyday, God gives it greater strength.
Bless'd is the Bird who spat the Banyan-seed;
Thanks to the water o'er-flowing from tank;
'Tis photo-synthesis, soil-less, indeed;
It cant grow fast like ones on River-bank.
But if the roots manage to reach the ground,
The tree will live a thousand years, ‘Tis found.
poem by John Celes
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Long Barren
Thou who didst hang upon a barren tree,
My God, for me;
Though I till now be barren, now at length
Lord, give me strength
To bring forth fruit to Thee.
Thou who didst bear for me the crown of thorn,
Spitting and scorn;
Though I till now have put forth thorns, yet now
Strengthen me Thou
That better fruit be borne.
Thou Rose of Sharon, Cedar of broad roots,
Vine of sweet fruits,
Thou Lily of the vale with fadeless leaf,
Of thousands Chief,
Feed Thou my feeble shoots.
poem by Christina Georgina Rossetti
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If Only I Were a Bird
If only I were a bird,
my days would be forever happy
Chirp from tree to tree
And live worry-free.
If only I were a bird,
I would fly from
Cyprus to Chile
and have a tour on earth.
If only I were a bird,
I would dropp fruit seeds
Hoping a fruit tree will grow
For other birds to take shade.
If only I were a bird
I won't be
worrying about work
Bills, car, or clothes
poem by Champs Ulysses Cabinatan
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A mind without instruction can no more bear fruit than can a field, however fertile, without cultivation.
A Dream Of Evolution....
shall a seed be
a seed forever?
do you not dream
someday that it shall
be planted
so that it can sprout
and grow
and then finally see
its flower
and fruit?
must the flower and fruit
be just the same
like the rest of the histories of
the other seeds
of their own form and kind?
must i hope
for an evolution
a seed turning
into a bee
a bee into
a butterfly into wind
into star?
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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Sonnet: Have a Child Soon
You have a child as early as you can,
Before the sun has set in your love-life!
Try hard- ’tis worth the labor woman, man;
Never worry about the added strife.
A family-life isn’t wholesome, spent childless!
Children are gifts of God, our living dolls!
The modern age has made earthlings reckless;
Without a child, you can’t for long rejoice.
Prepare the ground before you sow the seed;
But sow it only when conditions suit;
No married life’s joyful, childless indeed;
What is the use of growing trees sans fruit?
Yet, every tree must bear its fruit somehow!
Set right the environment but start right now.
6-12-2001
poem by John Celes
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The Seed And The Fruit
sometimes the seed
wonders
after it has seen its fruit
if the same
has come from it
sometimes the fruit
is more luscious
sweet and
crunchy,
well loved and
sought, and
expensively priced
than what the seed
has expected
for all we know,
mortals as we
nature also makes
the surprises
of its genes.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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That Is Perhaps What Poetry Is All About
a seed thrown on the ground
beside a bush, it grows and you do not notice.
it is sad to say, neglect does not bother.
time is its ally, and it begins to feel its roots
and leaves.it dreams of fruits.
the seed is now a tree, and it summons children
to play, to climb its branches and to reap its fruits.
that is its only joy. To give.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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Truth never yet fell dead in the streets; it has such affinity with the soul of man, the seed however broadcast will catch somewhere and produce its hundredfold.
quote by Theodore Parker
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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After voluntary exertions on the part of our people to which the history of the world furnishes no parallel, is the old root of bitterness still to remain in the ground, to sprout and bear fruit in the future as it has borne fruit in the past?
quote by Robert Dale Owen
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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