This morning, after cleaning, boiling, and
Resting the beans, I put them in a crockpot
With diced tomatoes, garlic, cumin, oregano,
Onion, paprika, and lots and lots of salt.
I set the temperature on low and planned to
Forget about them for the next five hours.
I then called the Buddha to see if he had
Any plans for dinner, “Salad, beans, rice?”
“Why, yes!” he said, “That sounds good to me.
I always enjoy a dish cooked long and slow.
There’s also a tasty lesson in preparing
A meal like this from the simplest recipe.
You and I, like everyone else, arrive into
This world with the same basic ingredients
Slow-cooked in the evolution of our species.
Then, we are slow-cooked again in the family
We inherit, in the places we live, and in the
Habits we learn: such a rich and delicious stew.
It’s also the reason for the difficulties we face
When we want to adjust the recipe, when we
No longer enjoy the dishes we’ve been served,
Those thick juices and flavors we simmer in:
It’s so hard to start over, to keep everything tender.”