I grew up eating TV dinners and food out of boxes and cans. I knew more about junk food than “slow” food. But that all changed when I married my wife. I actually lost weight and learned that you could put more on a sub than just iceberg lettuce. Salads came alive with so many colorful vegetables, and I learned that meat can be consumed pink! And yet, in the midst of my organic, non-GMO, healthy eating and living lifestyle, I can still enjoy a thick slice of ice cream cake (not made with organic, grass-fed milk, mind you) with dry-roasted peanuts, sparkle cookies, and hot fudge. This brings me to my second offering for National Poetry Month: Maya Angelou’s “The Health-Food Diner.” Enjoy!
The Health-Food Diner by Maya Angelou
No sprouted wheat and soya shoots And Brussels in a cake, Carrot straw and spinach raw, (Today, I need a steak). Not thick brown rice and rice pilaw Or mushrooms creamed on toast, Turnips mashed and parsnips hashed, (I'm dreaming of a roast). Health-food folks around the world Are thinned by anxious zeal, They look for help in seafood kelp (I count on breaded veal). No smoking signs, raw mustard greens, Zucchini by the ton, Uncooked kale and bodies frail Are sure to make me run to Loins of pork and chicken thighs And standing rib, so prime, Pork chops brown and fresh ground round (I crave them all the time). Irish stews and boiled corned beef and hot dogs by the scores, or any place that saves a space For smoking carnivores.
the deepening ground 