Nourished

Earlier today, I had a wonderful opportunity to sit with a diverse group including scholars, chaplains, pastors, theologians, and writers. We were around the dining table in a friend’s house. It was like being in church, before church was defined by buildings, programs, doctrine, and dogma. It was a holy place, space, and time. We were nourished.

When invitation to the table comes,

even hell and high water aren't excuse.

Hospitality is a gifter who knows

neighbor’s way as far superior

to highway, and kinder than my way.

Agua fresca’s agave and honeydew

refreshed and invited our introductions.

What did we eat, I wonder?

Platters and plates heaped

with more than mere nutrition;

the true pièce de résistance

was the Word, peeled, shared.

Not pieced and parsed, mind you,

but spoken as sacred cuisine,

from which our nourishment is sourced.

Fruit of meaning was melon

reminding us that reading the menu

pales compared to actually partaking.

Garden vegetables crunched,

succulent with summer’s wealth,

giving us the vitamins of discourse.

Chocolate, dark, fire and all,

sweetened and enlivened our conversation,

revealing surprising subtleties.

Elijah went forty days into the wilderness

on the strength of hot-stone bread and water.

I will surely last as long.

© 2015 Todd Jenkins