Stingy
Sequestered
in curtain-drawn room
Stingy
spent his energy and his day
Clucking
to himself over his good fortune
While
keeping his purse of loving intentions fat,
Calculating
each withdrawal in miniscule glee
Unmindful
of darkening shadows
Nipping
away at his soul.
Lavish
Largeness
of heart kept Lavish
Breathless
and busy as
Opportunities
to greet others
Traveling
through life
Filled
the cracks and crannies
Of
an unassuming life
Unaware
of the Sunlight that
Broadened
his footsteps and horizons.
Stingy’s
Friends
A
few like-minded curmudgeons
Imbibing
a round of stories
About
their wealth and calculations
For
a prosperous end to life.
Lavish’s
Friends
Strangers
and buddies alike
Find
their way into a heart
That
grows larger
Until
in the end it
Explodes
in the ultimate meaning
Of
a life well-lived.
 |
Stingy
and Lavish Meet
Once
on a rainy day Stingy
And
Lavish met at a local coffee shop.
Stingy
was having his usual,
A
small black coffee
For
which he requested a refill two times
While
quietly stashing three sugar packets
In
his pocket for his cereal at home.
Lavish
had a small black coffee too,
Noting
while he drank it the man
In
the faded coat who seemed friendless
And
maybe on the verge of desperation.
Their
eyes met while the beggar’s hand
Lurked
fingeringly in pocket.
A
warm smile and gentle nod.
A
cold stare and nervous cough.
Then
footsteps and a seat-mate.
“Couldn’t
help but notice.
May
I buy you some breakfast?”
“What?
You misunderstand!
I
am a wealthy man!”
He
rose and with pomp escorted his
Pride
out the door and back home to his
Curtained
room where
The
fragrance of a stranger’s smile
Haunted
his small doings
Like
an unexpected cool wind on a day of
Scorching
desert heat.
Becoming
Lavish
How
often in one day do our thoughts or actions
Betray
the Stingy persons we are by
Missed
opportunities, self-focused choices,
And
hoarding ways that fill us up to empty
With
meaningless pursuits and things?
Who
can truly be Lavish by their own gut and grit?
So
we sit in the coffee shop of life sipping black coffee
And
hoarding sugar in our pockets.
When
the Stranger meets us with kind eyes,
And
offers us not only breakfast but welcome into the family,
Will
we have the sense to sniff out
His
true identity and allow him to lavishly feed us
With
himself for the rest of our lives,
Turning
us into lavish, empty-pocketed friends?
*How great is the
love the Father has lavished on us
That we should be
called the children of God!
And that is what we
are!
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