The sheepfold's door

After John 10:1-18 

To enter the sheepfold,

you go through the door.

It’s designated; there’s

no other entrance.

One way, only one.

The sheep follow

the shepherd through

the door, because

they recognize his voice.

They don’t know

the voice of others, but

only the shepherd’s.

Hearing any other voice

will cause them to flee.

 

The door is life; to enter

That door is to embrace

life, be given life.

The shepherd knows

his sheep, by name.

And he calls them.,

by name.

 

Photograph by Antonello Falcone via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Laid upon a table

After John 10:1-18

Laid upon a table:

the food, the meal,

stretched across

the length of the room,

a feast, laid out,

a calling to the hungry.

He walks along the table,

seating the guests surprised

by his invitation,

his call to eat.

Photograph by Petr Kratochvil via Public Domain Pictures. Used with permission.

In the fields

After John 10:1-18

In the fields green

and full of life, flowered

explosion of grass and clover,

the shepherd walks, saying

little, his presence

sufficient to maintain

calm among the sheep,

roaming, eating, bleating.

He walks slowly,

with purpose, knowing

his work, knowing

his sheep.

He sits upon a large rock,

listening to the prayers,

the prayers of his sheep.

Photograph by John Kovacich via Public Domain Pictures. Used with permission.