Red Brother at the Crossroads

The stew steamed thick between the brothers’ hands,

Red lentils breathed their ordinary spell;

A birthright balanced on the desert sands.

He came in weary from the hunting lands,

His hunger rang louder than any bell—

The stew steamed thick between the brothers’ hands.

The fields had hardened him with their demands,

The wind had taught him thirst too sharp to quell;

A birthright balanced on the desert sands.

Then smooth-tongued Jacob spoke of simple plans,

Of trade and terms a starving man knows well;

The stew steamed thick between the brothers’ hands.

So Esau yielded what no man withstands

When body pleads its urgent, mortal knell—

A birthright balanced on the desert sands.

Years later still, the story understands

How fleeting fires of appetite can sell:

The stew steamed thick between the brothers’ hands,

A birthright balanced on the desert sands.