I AS A BAG OF FLOUR
To you I am
but a bag of flour
sitting on your
kitchen table
Sure, I was sown
tended, harvested
then pounded into
present shape
Before you idly sift
more of me onto
your kitchen table
through arrogant fingers
onto sandled toes, food
for beetles and ants,
pause to consider
my provenance
We plant forms
came from sea kingdoms
then as landed vegetation
became cereals
from deep time
Our mystery
preceeds you,
we, your ancestors,
blanketed earth's crust
a link for your
later arrival
So now
in your
kitchen battles
with knives,
pans and
slippery forks
Remember
to savour me,
don't take me for granted
curtailing my powers
of offering
Let me
rise and swell
gleaming upwards
head high as I brown
and condition
So that
you will chase
every crumb of me
with your finger
for an after-taste
when the meal is done.
Dublin 2004
Interesting Link: Karl Blossfeldt Botanical Photos
