Poem by Margaret Brittingham

She Came for Brisket but left with Ravioli

She came for brisket but left with ravioli, a bag of oranges and a loaf of bread
Disappointed to have her expectations dashed
Too late for the brisket and the hot buttery rolls --
But the warm ravioli soothed and comforted her soul.

Margaret Brittingham is a Professor of Wildlife Resources at Penn State University where she teaches ornithology and conducts research on birds.  She is part of a team that volunteers at the Community Café in State College, Pa, an excellent cooperative endeavor that provides weekly meals to the community. 
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This poem was inspired by an event that occurred in early February.  The café usually serves about 150 meals per night, but on this particular evening, the word was out that the café was serving brisket and homemade rolls.  Instead of the usual 150 meals, we had requests for 200 meals.  The rule for the café is  “If you think you might run out of food,... don’t”.  As we watched the brisket and rolls disappear, we pulled out the emergency supply of ravioli and cooked a delicious substitute meal for the late arrivals.  The next week, I attended the GLAG poetry session and was inspired to write this poem. 
​GLAG = Global Learning in Agriculture, an annual conference sponsored by Pennsylvania State University -- Global Learning in Agriculture Week | #GLAG21: Taking Action (psu.edu)

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