How she taught the teacher communion

(Mark 1: 29-39)

Jesus was fed so many times –
sabbath meals at home,
Matthew’s table,
Martha’s overambitious feast,
the boy’s lunch,
Simon with the wide platters
and the narrow heart,

the making-amends-meal
of the short man
who climbed down and down
and down from a tree
to see Jesus, fork in his hand,
“taste this”
and it was forgiveness.

But this was the first day
he was in the healing business,
and Naomi,
(it’s a good mother-in-law name)
had a fever so high
she could not get up
to plate food pre-cooked for sabbath
before her son-in-law’s
new teacher came.

Jesus lifted her up,
forehead burning virus and all,
and fever was broken,
compassion poured,
and, in gratitude for what he did for her,
she broke bread for them
poured wine into their cups.
and served them all …

As evening fell, others came ¬–
with illnesses of mind and body,
gaping holes of loss,
and he healed them through the night
as they clamored at the door,

but he had time to watch,
as she baked bread after bread, fried fish,
opened jugs of olive oil,
lifted a cup always running over.

And Jesus thought,
as dawn came up in prayer –
when I go,
perhaps this serving,
and these old hands of love

is what I shall leave behind
in remembrance of me.