I had been hungry all the years-My noon had come, to dine-I, trembling, drew the table nearAnd touched the curious wine. 'Twas this on tables I had seenWhen turning, hungry, lone,I looked in windows, for the wealthI could not hope to own. I did not know the ample bread,'Twas so unlike the crumbThe birds and I had often sharedIn Nature's diningroom. The plenty hurt me, 'twas so new,--Myself felt ill and odd,As berry of a mountain bushTransplanted to the road. Nor was I hungry; so I foundThat hunger was a wayOf persons outside windows,The entering takes away.
In her poem, the speaker reflects on experiencing hunger throughout her life, symbolizing a longing for connection and fulfillment. When the moment finally arrives to partake in a bounteous meal, she is anxious and reaches for the unfamiliar wine, highlighting her feelings of inadequacy. The imagery of gazing through windows embodies her past desires for what seemed unattainable, contrasting her present reality with the dreams of wealth and abundance she observed from afar.
As she encounters the table laden with food, the abundance feels strange and overwhelming, reminiscent of a solitary berry plucked from the wild and displaced. This realization leads her to understand that the real hunger she felt was more about isolation than a lack of food. The act of dining with others diminishes her previous longing, emphasizing that true fulfillment comes from connection rather than mere physical sustenance.
