Ode to the soybean

vivianimbriotis | Dec. 13, 2025, 3:25 p.m.

Oh pulse of proteins and of fats

I'd eat thee whole and salted warm

I'd make thee tofu in a vat

I'd down thee silken, soft or firm

With rice or oil or left alone

With noodles, wheat or soup or greens

Your gentle beany undertone

Your slant to eastward-born cuisine

Oh what a miracle you are

With your amino set complete

With your fat chains so doubly bonded

And your replacement of most meats

So please accept my humble thanks

For all your blocks and beans and paste

For all my cells you have replaced

For all the muscle at my waist