Mealtime Guests

By Zvi Yair

The sower's sweat
The reaper's joy
The sunshine’s languor
The singing of the rain -
In which is steeped
The bread we eat --

The pound of blood
The roil of life
The frolic of the calf
The ox's brawn -
That saturate the meat
Between our teeth --

The birth-throes of the bud
The sap's seep and flow
The pulse of the tree
The hum of the forest -
Frozen in the wood
Of our table - -

Barred from our door
Denied the shelter of our roof
They stand behind our chair
Holding on to the fork in our hand...

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By Zvi Yair More articles... |

Zvi Yair is the pen-name of the Hebrew poet and Chassidic scholar, Rabbi Zvi Meir Steinmetz (1915-2005). For more on Zvi Yair see www.zviyair.com
From the Hebrew by Yanki Tauber

About the artist: Sarah Kranz has been illustrating magazines, webzines and books (including five children's books) since graduating from the Istituto Europeo di Design, Milan, in 1996. Her clients have included The New York Times and Money Marketing Magazine of London

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Reader Comments
Latest Comments:

Posted: Mar 16, 2007

animals for food

What a beautiful bitter-sweet poem. It seems to speak of our obligation to the billions of animals who languish and suffer daily in the confines of factory farms, alienated from all nature and compassion from mankind. And, personify many reasons for NOT eating the flesh of any animal who suffered for our mealtime. Thank you for an inspiring offering which will inspire us work for the welfare of the creatures of our earth who have been abused and needlessly tortured for our benefit.

Posted By Netanya, Gulf Shores, AL