Fridays on Food and Faith

Today I wanted to share a poem and a grace that I found beautiful. 

Blessing of the Stew Pot 

By Alla Renee Bozarth 

Blessed be the Creator

and all creative hands 

which plant and harvest, 

pack and haul and hand 

over sustenance - 

Blessed be carrot and cow, 

potato and mushroom, 

tomato and bean, 

parsley and peas, 

onion and thyme, 

garlic and bayleaf, 

pepper and water, 

marjoram and oil, 

and blessed be the fire - 

and blessed be the enjoyment 

of nose and eye, 

and blessed be color - 

and blessed be the Creator 

for the miracle of red potato, 

for the miracle of green bean, 

for the miracle of fawn mushrooms, 

and blessed be God 

for the miracle of the earth:

ancestors, grass, bird, 

deer and all gone, 

wild creatures

 whose bodies become 

carrots, peas, and wild 

flowers, who

give sustenance

to human needs, whose 

agile dance of music 

nourishes the ear 

and soul of the dog 

resting under the stove

and the woman working over

the stove and the geese

out the open window 

strolling in the backyard. 

And blessed be God 

for all, all, all. 

Printed in Food and Faith; originally from Moving to the Edge of the World: A Poetry Trilogy