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...