Recently he wrote a poem that caused me to ponder a little more deeply a concept I have thought of often: “The grass always wins.”
Here’s Neighbor Bob’s poem:
Oklahoma Road Kill: Walking the Dogs
By Bob Basye
Noble the days of travelers risking at road
Often being road kill by way of wolf or
Crime. Few outlaws were Robin Hood. Lassie
Would be a dream on moonlit, wooded roads.
Next, all the roads lead to Rome or somewhere called
Cathay. War then trade made roads important
Nero to Hitler, Polo to Ford, Christ’s
Way or Lao Tzu’s Tao-no more just holy.
Too modern now for walking my dogs, morn
Or night. Yesterday, we saw by a road
Smashed in a form so Picasso, Nature’s
Slower soul, an old turtle failed by modernity.
My loyal wolfs smelled of Nature’s Judas
Bigger and faster, do humans really rule life’s roads?
On our recent trip to Denver, I saw many roads that were no longer in use all grown up with grass, and in some places the cement or asphalt had completely disappeared. Each of these roads were once maintained and traveled so frequently, that the grass might have come up through the cracks, but could never do much more than that. After these roads became obsolete, there was nothing to stop the grass eventually converting the road back to its natural state.
So let’s explore this grass grown road a bit and see where else it might take us. Neighbor Bob’s poem gives us a hint when he mentioned the famous and infamous of this world’s past. In particular I’d like to focus on the infamous.
Throughout our world’s history there have been many governments and rulers whose oppressions and cruelties have been blights on the history of mankind. We can think as far back as the King of Sodom whom Abraham refused a gift from as reward for saving him, to the leaders of Al Qaeda who condone mutilating young girls because they are going to school. Each of these men and Jezebel-like women have abused power and made their people miserable.
Right now, in the United States, we are also faced with a government many believe is destroying this country. We look at the decisions made and the petty bickering taking place and there seems to be no side that is a government “for the people by the people”. In our government, as in our society, the prevailing thought is “what is best for me”.
As we think about the concept of the grass always winning, we can find some comfort, albeit a somber comfort to our concerns for our children and our children’s children. Nothing man-made lasts. The grass always wins.
Where are those leaders of the past who were so terrible to their people? Where is Nebuchadnezzer? Where is Hitler? Stalin? Chairman Mao? Castro? The grass has won over them and now they’re each a faded memory that we dare not forget lest we fall into the same trap.
Now let’s think about Jesus. Yes he died. But he is the only one who has won out over the grass. His perfect life was the planned ransom for our lives from eternity past. He lived a perfect life, he died an agonizing death and because he came to earth to be our salvation, he rose again and is now in heaven interceding for us. He is King over the grass.
And because he is King even over the grass, we know that the grass may grow over our bodies, but our souls will live forever.
So, next time you see a road that is overgrown with grass, give thanks to the King over the grass for making possible our own Victory over the grass.