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Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Crumbs from the Rich Man's Table


by Phil Hilfiker



Crumbs from the Rich Man's Table
-by Ida Bailey Allen

They have a place--
Crumbs.
Singly--they mean little,
Part of the whole--they have the same attributes.

O crumbs from the Rich Man's Table, what are you that we
have not?
You are not air, full and free.
You are not water, clean and pure.
You are not sunshine.
Often you represent foolish desire--
Waste, envy, or jealousy.

Why live or think in terms of crumbs?
The penny is a dollar crumb.
The crust a part of the loaf.
The scraps part of the roast.
The wasted gas, part of the bill.

"Crumbs"
They are worth thought for what they can be.

Not the Rich Man's Crumbs.
Let me gather up my fragments
And make them whole.


-from the recipes, poems, and wisdom found in Ida Bailey Allen's Modern Cookbook 2500 Recipes, (pub. 1924, 1935)

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5 comments:

  1. nothingprofoundDecember 1, 2009 at 6:02 AM

    Thanks for introducing me to this new poet. Beautifully written and full of truth.

    ReplyDelete
  2. KimDecember 1, 2009 at 8:12 AM

    This was a great poem to read...especially around this time of the year.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Looking to the StarsDecember 1, 2009 at 12:16 PM

    I like this poem! It's food for thought :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. English RiderDecember 1, 2009 at 8:14 PM

    marvelous image

    ReplyDelete
  5. LydiaDecember 2, 2009 at 1:24 AM

    @Looking to the Stars- You are so clever! "...food for thought" to describe a cook-writer, that's a good one!

    @Kim- I got the same message from it, Kim. :)

    @nothingprofound- Hello and welcome and thank you for your lovely comment!

    @English Rider- Agreed. :)

    ReplyDelete

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