My mother could make such a wonderful lunch,
With sandwiches so tasty and chips you could crunch.
Each sandwich was full of all she could cram,
With all kinds of meats, but of course never ham.

Now this was to be a most special day,
With no time to dawdle and no time to play.
The lunch was to last from morning ’til night,
So mother made sure she got everything right.

She gave it to me as I went out the door
And then she said “Wait, there’s one package more.
It’s the scraps that were left from supper last night.
We never waste food it just isn’t right.”

“So if you have time and it won’t make you late,
Just give it to the boy who begs at the gate.”
When I went through the gate, the boy was right there
But to give him those scraps just didn’t seem fair.

He was dirty and skinny and he must have been cold,
For the clothes that he wore were tattered and old.
So I gave him my jacket and I gave him my lunch,
With my two tasty sandwiches and the chips you can crunch.

I knew I’d be hungry, for the day would be long
But it made me feel good, in my heart was a song.
He said not a word but his look was enough,
In his eye was a tear; he wasn’t so tough.

So I went on my way and my steps felt so light
And if I got hungry, I had scraps from last night.
Today I would see him, he’s in all the news,
This man that some call the King of the Jews.

They said he would speak on the side of the hill,
If I can just hear him, it’ll be such a thrill.
I knew they would be there, the poor and the proud
But never before had I seen such a crowd.

Once more I began to think about food,
Just how would the Master feed this multitude?
But I’m sure you now know, how the people were fed.
In my bag were two fishes and five scraps of bread.

(John 6:9)

Now this one was fun. It was easy to write and I got my O’Henry ending in with no problem. I put the exact scripture that I used at the bottom of the poem because there are slightly different versions in the different gospels.

None of the writers, however, tell us anything of the boy that shared his lunch with Jesus that day. Wouldn’t it be fun to know something about him? I claim no divine revelation but I think he would be pleased with my version of what must have been the most memorable day in his life. I hope you have as much fun reading The Lunch as I had writing it.