A Man Healed

A Man Healed

A story is told
of a man
filled with ‘unclean-spirits’…
demons, if you will,
or Legion meaning “many.”

Perhaps this man
was possessed by
nothing but grief.
Maybe the ‘systems’ (political and religious)
under which he lived,
continued to tax
everything so severely
and knowingly
that this man lost
‘everything.’

His wife taken because
of her beauty.
His children removed—
utilized as slaves
of pleasure.
His land stripped
from him.

Each day
this torment
haunted him~~~
hurling him
against rocks.
He—left only in
despair while
villagers—
his neighbors passed
him by
turning their faces
so as NOT to see.

Then, someone passed
by—stopping
NOT staring.
He took his brother
by his hand.

In a single touch…
a display of
kindness, compassion—
each ‘cemented’ thought
in the man’s mind
began to crumble.

A herd of swine
devoured the crumbled pieces
thinking it food.
Both men looked on.  The swine
had taken in all the ‘spoil’—
and NOW they rushed to the cliff’s edge
and plunged into the water.

How sad.  Indeed,
these swine
devouring such sadness.

The men paused…
looking into the eyes of each
other inquiring without
words, “Did you see that?”

Not a word spoken.

The villagers came out
to see what all
the raucous was about.
The ground rumbled
and they thought it thunder.

They gazed in amazement—
their ‘broken’ neighbor
upright, healed.

He leaped from the
ground rushing to
embrace his community—
BUT, they looked past him.

“Wait” he said,
“Look it’s really me…
I’m well.”

Instead, they rushed
the Other man.
“Leave at once—
Get out of here—
Remove yourself
before we do.”

No one stopped to
‘celebrate’ the joy in
their neighbor’s pain—
released…
Their ONLY concern…
those swine were their
‘source’ of income—
now what should
they do?

The man healed wished to
follow this stranger—
the One told him to
go and tell others
the story—
and, so he did.

The One man
slipped way.
Maybe you heard his story?
He tried and tried—
still some refused to ‘see.’

This story…
real today…
so many going about
trying and trying—

A single touch.
A transformed moment.
There are those who
‘see’ and those
who only count
their loss.

They fill their own
pockets
while the orphans
and widows
‘BELIEVE’ and pray.

(Adapted by this writer from Luke 8:26-39)