October 1 is World Vegetarian Day. Not to mention the birthday of Julie Andrews.) And, October is Vegetarian Month.
So: in celebration of vegetarians everywhere, here is a poem about a vegetable, taken from one of my favorite new books, Eat, Drink and Be Merry: Poems about Food and Drink. (The book is one of those "Everyman's Library Pocket Poets" books, published by Alfred Knopf. I love little books and this is one I discussed earlier with The Cook's Companion. )
From Sylvia Plath:
MUSHROOMSOvernight, very
Whitely, discreetly,
Very quietlyOur toes, our noses,
Take hold on the loam,
Acquire the air.Nobody sees us,
Stops us, betrays us;
The small grains make roomSoft fists insist on
Heaving the needles,
The leafy bedding,Even the paving.
Our hammers, our rams,
Earless and eyeless,Perfectly voiceless,
Widen the crannies,
Shoulder through holes. WeDiet on water,
On crumbs of shadow,
Bland-mannered, askingLittle or nothing.
So many of us!
So many of us!We are shelves, we are
Tables, we are meek,
We are edible,Nudgers and shovers
In spite of ourselves.
Our kind multiplies:We shall by morning
Inherit the earth.
Our foot's in the door.
If you like that, check out Richard Wilbur on the potato. It's in the book (with lots on fruits, picnics, and other topics), or click here.
