What would it cost to feed such a crowd?
What will it take to sate my soul?
On the one hand I’ve seen what the Master can do.
Yes, he must certainly increase—and multiply.
And divide.
So on the other hand…
There are only so many things I count on in life
And I know what my larder can muster.
No, this did not feel like a test
As much as a trick question
Of incalculable proportions.
We all can tell when things don’t add up.
So what should we make of these leftover crusts?
What I will I find when I sort through these orts?
Do we ever understand what we toss aside?
What is the takeaway from this objectionable lesson?
What am I left with at the end of the day?
5000 facts that cannot be grasped—
Two fishes and five loaves of doubt—
Twelve lame excuses for lack of belief—
And my basket of miraculous scraps.
I picture Peter holding one of the twelve baskets of leftovers following the “feeding of the 5000” and thinking, “What just happened?”