Earth!

(contemplation before eating)

With this poem we begin our practice of mindful eating. After serving ourselves in silence and coming back to the circle to sit, we prepare ourselves to look deeply into what we have in front of us and into our nature of interbeing. We eat calmly, resting the fork on our plate between bites in order to truly be available for what is inside of us and around us. Buon appetito!

Once upon a time
a short while ago
this food was earth.

Earth!
Just like the kind we walked upon a few minutes ago:
dust, plants, microorganisms and water
that soon will become the cells of our body
the molecules of our smiling lips
the fibers of our muscles
our nerves that produce sensations
and our brain that generates thoughts.

Tell me, Earth:
Where is the exact point
when you cease to be you
and begin to be me?

These teeth that chew
are themselves Earth.
Who then is eating whom?

May we eat in a way that nurtures gratitude, peace and compassion
for the benefit of the Earth and all its faces.
May we see beyond the illusion of separateness
and recognize our true nature.