(Pixabay/suju)
PAUSE
REFLECT
"Ode to the Artichoke"
by Pablo Neruda
The tender-hearted
upright
artichoke
girded itself as
a warrior, constructed
a small dome,
to keep itself
waterproof
within
its scales.
...
and then one day
it was into the grand
willow basket
with the others and off
to the market
it marched
to fulfill its dream:
the militia!
In columns
never more martial
than at the fair,
men
in their white shirts
among the vegetables
became
field marshals
of the artichokes,
the closed ranks,
the voices of command,
and the sudden detonation
of ... a fumbled cashbox,
but
then
comes
Maria
with her basket,
who fearlessly
picks out
an artichoke,
looking at it, examining it
against the light as if it were an egg,
she buys it,
drops it
into her basket
with a pair of shoes,
a white cabbage and a
bottle
of vinegar as well
then
entering the kitchen
plunges it into the pot.
And so it ends,
in peace,
the career
of the armored vegetable
called 'artichoke,'
and presently
scale by scale
we undress
this delight
we munch
the peaceful paste
of its green heart.
The artichoke reminds us of the gospel call to be broken as food for others. How do you feel called to do that today?
PRAY
Write, or compose in your head, a short ode to a type of food that you appreciate.
Lenten Daily Food Reflections
pause | reflect | act
Editor's note: These daily reflections on food, faith, climate and our lives will provide spiritual sustenance for the Lenten journey. They are inspired by the Lenten Food Waste Fast at the Ignatian Solidarity Network.
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