A Prayer for Winter Hunger

Rev. Debra McKnight

The fruit is gone from the branches

the garden resting in a blanket of snow

And we hunger.

The animals have stored up for the season

Busy bees and industrial ants

mammals packing extra weight

And we hunger,

even if we just need to make a list and run to the store.

We with a Starbucks on every corner; hunger.

We with dollar menus and markets open 24/7,

we hunger.

Maybe our bodies still remember

the preparations our great grandmothers made

to stave off cold and hunger

the weary work of the generations long before.

Maybe those ancient longings whisper from our bones

nudging us to prepare for winter

And so we prowl around the edges of the season

with misplaced hungers and unnamed needs.

We are hungry

so let’s listen.

What are we hungry for?

What do our guts really growl for?

For what does the poetry of our longing whisper?

To be honest, it’s probably not a package of double stuff Oreos.

We are hungry, even when we are full.

We have plenty and want more.

Let’s listen deep

Without stuffing ourselves full.

Maybe we are hungry for food that isn’t fast

And the time to knead the dough,

For the long simmering flavor that can’t be rush,

And the smells that take us right to Grandma’s kitchen.

We are hungry for nourishment and nurturing

for something sweet,

so lets slow down and heat up the oven, dust the counter with flour

measure the sugar and gather the folks we call family to bake.

We are hungry

so let’s name what we really need

let’s center on what makes us healthy and whole,

Let’s set the table, indulge in something tasty and not do it alone.

May it be so. Amen