What feeds us.

To make a meal

you need a fire,

some oil to grease the pan,

some meat or vegetable and spices

to give everything some flavour.

You need a spoon to stir

the whole mess around;

to make sure everything

mixes well and

you need to keep stirring till

the room smells so fragrant

that everyone smiles with

anticipation of that first mouthfull.

 What feeds us tonight

is the joy of sharing the meal

and its preparation.

Nothing would have made this meal

in isolation—separated from the rest

the meat is just meat;

vegetables are only vegetables

and a pan is just a utensil.

But brought together

by human thought and action

all these things feed us tonight

and give us the strength

to rise in the morning

and make the world anew.

—Howard Tessler,

Toronto, Ontario,

June 4, 2012 

12:10am.