The Scared Center of the Dining Room Table

A Short Panegyric
by Mark Strand

Now that the vegetarian nightmare is over and we are back to
our diet of meat and deep in the sway of our dark and beauty-
ful habits and able to speak with calm of having survived, let
the breeze of the future touch and retouch our large and hun-
gering bodies. Let us march to market to embrace the butcher
and put the year of the carrot, the month of the onion behind
us, let us worship the roast or the stew that takes its place once
again at the scared center of the dining room table.

A note from me: In case you didn't know (and I didn't) a panegyric is "formal and elaborate praise." The dictionary also defines it as a eulogy, "a lofty oration or writing in praise of a person or thing," which makes me think of a prayer, which reminds me -- thanks to this poem-- of the words we can use to bless our food. My family always says this prayer: "For what we are about to receive, may the Lord make us truly grateful." You?