"The Great Tablecloth"

So... I was rummaging through some notes the other day and I came across a piece of paper from last September with two things written on it.  The first was a reminder to myself:  "Order bowls."  The second was a quote by the poet Pablo Neruda that said, "For now I ask no more than the justice of eating."

As we get ready for our community dinner tonight, let's be proud of the work we've done so far, but let's keep foremost in our minds and hearts the spirit of Neruda's words.  The Shoreline Soup Kitchens and Pantries and End Hunger Connecticut live by those words daily as they feed members of our community and work for justice through legislation about food access and nutrition.  After tonight, let's consider how we can continue to learn about and address the needs of our community and the larger world.

Here's an English translation of the last part of Neruda's poem.   See you tonight!

                                     
Hunger feels like pincers,
like the bite of crabs,
it burns, burns and has no fire:
Hunger is a cold fire.
Let us sit down soon to eat
with all those who haven’t eaten;
let us spread great tablecloths,
put salt in the lakes of the world,
set up planetary bakeries,
tables with strawberries in snow,
and a plate like the moon itself
from which we can all eat.

For now I ask no more
than the justice of eating.

from Pablo Neruda, "The Great Tablecloth," 1958 (trans. Alastair Reid)