Manna Of Courage

Manna Of Courage
© Surazeus
2025 02 13

This block of cheese should elicit no laugh 
from those of us contrived by poverty 
to struggle against privilege of wealth 
seemingly imbued by that divine hand 
which assigned Tablets of the Law to Moses, 
for dairy chunks are our manna of courage. 

No Mithras wearing red Superman cape, 
as noble matador astride fierce bull 
that raptured Europa from flowered meadow, 
I yet face horned devil of fortitude 
when I invest capital earned by labor 
to herd cattle with stoic pride of Zeus. 

As purple Amaryllis flowers bloom 
in lush Arcadian meadows where cows graze, 
I play heart-enchanting music of love 
on pipes Pan fashioned for amusing play, 
while Amaryllis, maiden in lace dress, 
extracts sweet milk from teats of lowing heifers. 

After curdling milk in cow-stomach bags, 
Amaryllis ferments curds in clay pots, 
strains thickened curds through linen sheets of cloth, 
pours curds in round wood frames, sprinkles on salt, 
then sets them on benches to dry in sunlight, 
keeping watch till they harden into cheese. 

So many variants of delicious cheese 
provide savory flavor for rich cuisine, 
cheddar, mozzarella, camembert, 
brie, asiago, feta, parmigiano, 
emmental, ricotta, fontina, gouda, 
and many more alchemically designed. 

While Moses leads our tribe of refugees, 
escaped from slavery of pyramid gods, 
wandering lost in waste land of despair, 
soul-nourishing manna from dew of heaven 
sprouts as mushrooms from desert of desire 
we eat with cheese we brew from milk of cows. 

Though spider of Arachne, weaving fibers 
of flax into comforting linen cloth, 
sits beside us as we eat curds and whey, 
we savor sweet manna that Hesat brews 
from cow milk which nourishes our gaunt souls 
as we journey on to the Promised Land. 

No tragedy of cruel uncontrolled hubris, 
nor comedy that mocks foibles of thieves,  
frames noble cheese with mythical concern, 
for we have followed cows across dewed fields 
ten thousand years of close companionship, 
eating cheese they provide with generous love.