When Sourdough Rises

We must first succeed alone, that we may enjoy our success together. That we have but little faith is not sad, but that we have little faithfulness. By faithfulness faith is earned. - Thoreau

shell-shocked and devastated

with a swollen spirit and hunger unsatiated

he reached deep down into the dumpster of desperation and despair

to feed his flesh

to nourish his soul

he needed to eat regardless of his spirit's shackles

despite being surrounded by hungry jackals

and life's hard crust that crackles

it didn't matter that the bread was old

that it had mold

that the day was cold

the limit of what his frigid fingers could hold

that his shoes had holes

or that the container could be rolled

not even that his faith was old

he had to be bold

the loaf had already been bought and sold

all that mattered was that the truth be told

Author's Note

"Bread may not always nourish us; but it always does us good, it even takes stiffness out of our joints, and makes us supple and buoyant, when we knew not what ailed us, to recognize any generosity in man or Nature, to share any unmixed and heroic joy." - Thoreau

"Our bread need not ever be sour or hard to digest. What Nature is to the mind she is also to the body. As she feeds my imagination, she will feed my body; for what she says she means, and is ready to do. She is not simply beautiful to the poet's eye. Not only the rainbow and sunset are beautiful, but to be fed and clothed, sheltered and warmed aright, are equally beautiful and inspiring. There is not necessarily any gross and ugly fact which may not be eradicated from the life of man." - Thoreau

Reviews

[John the Baptist]

Hunger, it is said, is the best sauce. I must wonder, what with so many people having lost work during the pandemic, whether dumpster diving will become more commonplace in this country. Thoreau was right; bread is good. Of course, if you're hungry enough, anything is good.

[Pete]

very true what you say. one thing i've learned is that the almighty always provides somehow, usually in unexpected, miraculous ways. i'd rather eat crumbs from God's table than steak and lobster from a rich man's although a mcdonald's big mac once in a while tastes quite good. there is no substitute or meal as nourishing as faith ...

[Pete]

my muse thoreau also wrote,

“Why should we live with such hurry and waste of life? We are determined to be starved before we are hungry." and

"Do not despair of life. You have no doubt force enough to overcome your obstacles. Think of the fox prowling through wood and field in a winter night for something to satisfy his hunger. Notwithstanding cold and the hounds and traps, his race survives. I do not believe any of them ever committed suicide." and

"How prompt we are to satisfy the hunger and thirst of our bodies; how slow to satisfy the hunger and thirst of our souls!" ... :)

[John the Baptist]

Actually, though I am a retired mental health worker, I don't recall any fox suicides, either. Of course, a lot of those who called the hotline on the midnight shift didn't identify themselves. I mean, some of them could have been foxes. Still, I doubt it. I never heard of a fox asking "What does it all mean?"

[Dave Brown]

I am very inclined to raisin bread, toasted and smothered in butter
Not found in dumpsters where too many poor souls spend their time looking and with winter coming, the situation becomes much worse

[Pete]

thanks for caring dave. a different perspective on our daily bread - makes me appreciate the little things so much more. even the birds of the air are fed but not without effort and faith ... :)

[Chris Shaw]

I find your Thoreau quotes so interesting Pete. I have never known what it is like to be hungry and to need shelter. The very basic requirements and yet so many are without. With the pandemic, loss of jobs, the whole situation I fear is going to get a whole lot worse. I am reminded that if you are starving, you will eat anything to assuage that hunger. All of us need to be generous. Enjoyed your choice of music and your new avatar is grand Pete. All the best and keep safe.

Chris

[Pete]

thank chris. thoreau was an amazing man - way ahead of his time and well grounded in decency. his writings are sobering & thought-provoking to say the least. terrible situation we find ourselves in (the sort of thing he feared & predicted). it's interesting how dire need changes perspectives. best to you too ... :)

[barleygirl]

After a long kickass string of rhyming riffs, we get to the crux of the matter . . . the less one has in a physical realm, the easier it is to strip away the bullshit. Having a bunch of stuff (in my humble opinion) tends to make people defend that stuff, possibly with more vigor than they might defend a pet or a friend. As much as half this country hates the direction this country is going in, a lot of it centers around greed. Anyhow, I better shut up right here becuz I might get a little too loose with the lips & piss people off like I've been doing lately. You probably remember that some neighbor beat up the senator Rand Paul . . . my high school friend was married to that neighbor & she's a fiery one who've I've just listened to rant for a half hour. I feel myself possibly wanting to spill, but I'll go water my garden instead. I picked seven big luscious figs -- the first my trees have produced since I planted them 2 years ago. I am SOOOOO glad I didn't have to evacuate & leave my garden! (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[Pete]

thanks margie. no need to shut up, i appreciate your thoughts. you're right though - the more we possess the more lost we become (as thoreau fully realized). i know you don't care for the "holy roller" stuff but jesus said, "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God". is interesting that the wealthier the u.s. becomes the more lost & misguided it gets - look at the stuff that is taking place here these days (fires, floods, storms, virus stealing our freedoms and livelihoods (kids can't even go to school, we're all walking around with masks like a bad movie, police brutality, politics in shameful shambles, i could go on & on). if you like by the sword, you die by it. i'd rather focus on more important things like those figs - i miss my garden (nothing like fresh fruit and veggies and digging in the dirt with the sun on your face) ... :)

[barleygirl]

I didn't realize Jesus said that! I find it interesting the way you equate "rich" with the entire USA plight rather than reading this at the personal level. It is very strange to me that kids can't go to school & everyone is wearing masks. Ya gotta step back from it all (like I am, here in the wilderness with no kids & no mask) . . . and wonder . . . mercy mercy what's going on?