Dinner at the Monastery

Shanxi Province, China

The monks took pictures of the fruit.
A small indulgence — a new menu for
their visitors, who came brimming with
expectation. Expectation for
experience, what should be, what is
deserved. An array of tastes,
and shapes, no one wondering about
how nature has evolved. Fruits like birds
of paradise, transforming over centuries to be
perfectly different, then transported
to the table — for us (of course).
We’re taught obligation over entitlement —
what is our obligation? What must we fulfill?
To see the fruit with monk’s eyes,
preserve the beauty in our minds.