Comestibles

Jupiter and Mercurius in the house of Philemon and Baucis by Rubens

In the US, April is National Poetry Month. From Ovid’s Baucis and Philemon who share a meager meal with wayfaring strangers who turn out to be the gods Jupiter and Mercury in disguise, to the perfect little morsel that is William Carlos Williams’s “This is Just To Say,” food has always been a compelling subject for poets. Here is one of my favorites:

Perhaps The World Ends Here

by Joy Harjo

The world begins at a kitchen table. No matter what, we must eat to live.

The gifts of the earth are brought and prepared, set on the table. So it has been since creation, and it will go on.

We chase chickens or dogs away from it. Babies teethe at the corners. They scrape their knees under it.

It is here that children are given instructions on what it means to be human. We make men at it, we make women.

Read the rest of the poem at The National Poetry Foundation

Do you have a favorite food poem? Please share it in the comments.