This beautiful poem was excerpted from a book of poetry written by longtime Macrobiotic Foundation Member Cynthia Schumacher.

Macrobiotic Mentor

by Cynthia Schumacher

Comfortable among cabbages,

Onions and butternut squash

Piled casually near baskets

Of parsnips and celery,

Carrots and curly kale,

Daikon and red peppers,

She contemplates the incredible possibilities

of pearl barley, amaranth, and brown rice

And observes the cerebral similarities

Of broccoli and cauliflower heads

While an orange cat sleeps contentedly

On a stool at one end of the counter

Near a bowl of fresh strawberries

And happy plants cluster affectionately

Beside the step outside her kitchen door.

Sorghum and vanilla

Mingled with corn's golden oil

Gradually incorporate dry sweetness

Of ground almonds and whole-grain flour

Into the aroma of cookies baking

As within this culinary microcosm

She moves with ease,

Converting the energy of the universe

Into delectable sustenance

And brewing love in

Pots of kukicha tea

.