Poem by Linette Rabsatt

7/19/2024

The following poem was inspired by Dr. Jayne Shatz's artwork, The Empty Bowl, which appears on the
Poetry X Hunger website--ART - Poetry X Hunger.

Fading Away

hunger so strong
that even imagination
does not ease off the pain
because the mind is weaker
than the limbs
and not even the hymns
can be remembered
as the hunger
gives the feeling that the
belly is being ripped asunder
and as the growling
sounds off like thunder
until the ears can hear no more
because the senses
no longer respond
… yet there is no food in sight
and there is no might left
and with no rights
to even one proper daily meal
there is no way for this
body to heal
so I fade away

Linette is a Virgin Islands poet with roots in the BVI and USVI. She began writing in 1996. Linette's work is available in her Kindle book, "Be Inspired: Poems by Linette Rabsatt," on her blog, “Words of Ribbon,” "Virgin Islands Callaloo: Poems from the Caribbean," and on the Visual Verse website.

9 Comments

Angella Bennett

9/9/2024 08:18:49 pm

I love this poem which was pleasant and well thought out. Congratulations

g.e. moore

9/13/2024 03:15:48 am

Lovely. Haunting. Thought-provoking. This is a lovely piece that evokes a sense of weightlessness, even as it describes a thing that is so very heavy. Thank you for this--

Jason

9/9/2024 08:27:29 pm

Excellent piece of art in verse to accompany Dr. Jayne Shatz's artwork, The Empty Bowl.

Your poem vividly captures the agony of hunger, making the reader feel the desperation in every line. The phrase "imagination does not ease off the pain" highlights the relentless nature of this suffering, where even the mind offers no relief. The image of "the belly being ripped asunder" evokes a brutal, physical pain, while "the growling sounds off like thunder" powerfully conveys the overwhelming force of hunger. The line "no rights to even one proper daily meal" speaks not only to individual suffering but to a broader, shared injustice.

Inspired by your work, I wrote a limerick:

In hunger, the body does ache,
As the mind and the spirit both break,
Thunder roars in the belly,
No rights, just empty,
Fading slowly with each breath we take.

Ixora

9/9/2024 08:40:31 pm

This poem evokes a lot of feelings. It also reminds me somehow of the hunger a person may feel to become successful until they might give up. Hopefully not.

Hya Rose-Manners

9/9/2024 09:05:50 pm

Belly ripping asunder ...... thunder I have been there truth being told .
Realistic expression

Tanicia

9/9/2024 09:45:42 pm

This poem is beautiful Lin, as I read it, it kept my thoughts and emotions engaged. It evoked my sense of reflection, allowing me to relate on a personal level at some point in my personal life. Congratulations Lin, well written and well deserving!

Rickollete

9/9/2024 10:17:26 pm

I love this poem. Continue to encourage us though your poetry. Poem is my happy place.

Perline Scatliffe

9/10/2024 06:17:41 am

Another great piece written by Linette. Continue in excellence.

Joseph Caperna, MD link

1/6/2025 06:49:40 pm

Your poem makes hunger immediate, and our current response, too late. Beautiful, flowing. Feels authentic, so important to share. Thank you, Lin.

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Poem by Linette Rabsatt

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