Poems by Katrina Moinet

The following poem was inspired by Diane Wilbon Parks' artwork, Poetry X Hunger Logo, which appears on the Poetry X Hunger website--ART - Poetry X Hunger.

Love in a Time of Ruin

I fed my daughter          oats in warmed milk
                                           cucumbers slivered from their skin
                                           carrots râpéed into haystacks

I fed my girl carbs          coated in slugs
of extra virgin oil          sprinkled with acid
lemon zest

I fed her          pasta & cheese pasta & cheese pasta & cheese
pasta          neglected cheese pasta & neglect

Fed up I fed her up then           sat down
to write a poem

My girl went hungry in the morning     I sat and wrote another
she went hungry in the afternoon          I sat and wrote another & another & another

That evening we read them together    hungry
she went into the kitchen & discovered how to feed herself.

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

The Cost of Living

I suffered a panic attack today: my shopping bag felt light-headed, my milk turned
my eggs shrank back from the sides of their cardboard nests and had a wobble

I’ve tried to never watch the news, never keep abreast of what the government
think-tanks think or whose stroke of genius is making headlines spin          and yet

I couldn’t help but notice the cost of living-breathing-eating-heating rise
I couldn’t help but notice the pound slip between the stitched seam of my pocket

A lady over the phone checks my state of consciousness, asks me if I’m having
difficulty          breathing?

I’d hardly noticed lately
             I’ve been breathing less           (more shallowly)
                                      living less           (more shallowly)
                                     loving less           (more shallowly)

                                         And yes            I’m having difficulties
                                                 yes            it’s left me     breathless

The lady on the phone advises me:   ‘Take deeper breaths’
but    I    can’t    find    my    words      to explain

                    I        can’t        afford          to take deeper breaths
                    I        can’t        afford          to phone a friend
                    I        can’t        afford          to use a lifeline
                             can’t afford to survive

so        I        breathe
                                          less
                                   & less
                               & less
                         & less
                    & less

This poem was originally published in Mslexia magazine, www.mslexia.co.uk, issue 98 (2023).

Katrina Moinet won Globe Soup Short Story and Flash Fiction prizes, has a Master's in creative writing, and runs Blue Sky Versify monthly open mic.

'Portrait of a Young Girl Falling' is Katrina's debut poetry pamphlet (Hedgehog Press, 2024) and a second, prizewinning collection is forthcoming in 2025.
@KMoinetWrites | katrinamoinet.com

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