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Create!

That's the purpose of this section. You are encouraged to read the poems

posted here and elsewhere on the Poetry X Hunger website, to look 


at 
the historic accounts of hunger, famine and starvation, or consider the

​prompts suggested and then... write some poetry about hunger.
 

Poem by Kim B Miller

1/16/2021

4 Comments

 
The Hunger Dialect
​

We sip on tea flavored with righteousness indignation
Add a touch of honey dripping in our own gluttony
While we slowly speak the dialect of hunger
We claim to be ambitious on solutions 
But truth says we have never met
We spread lies evenly
As if, evenness eliminates detection 
Hungry people see a world of excess who view starvation as avoidable
Victim shaming is our specialty
This dialect of deception is clearly recognizable
The language we lie with is so bitter, even when dripping off of sweet religious lips
We can’t feed everybody
Here comes the lie
We embrace the acceptance that doing nothing is equal to trying
Yet we continuously knit together new excuses with old lies 
We shame hungry people on full stomachs and then we rewrite the narrative
Imagine a world that throws away enough food to feed the hungry complaining about loss
While the population who has food insecurity is waiting to be found 
Empty stomachs are not looking for empty words
We need long term, right now, sustainable actions
Let’s plant fruits and vegetables and let freedom be the gardener
Allow people to pick fresh food from their community greenery
Have community barbeques and well placed public pantries
Donate to trusted restaurants so they can offer free meals to those in need
Create central areas for restaurants to bring food instead of throwing it away
Let’s reinvent how we distribute food
Make it easier to ask without asking
And no more pretty phrases for ugly things
Starvation is not “food insecurity”
Is death “breathing insecurity”
Our appetite for synonyms seems high
Hunger has many levels
And a need to make hunger definable to all is needed
Let’s make sure we are not using it to avoid saying words that sting
Starvation is a “life insecurity”
Action is the cure
But we’re too busy slicing up excuses
While hungry people look at an empty plate full of indecision
We don’t even offer them a cup of hope
Click on the file below to listen to Kim reading her poem:
audio_only.m4a
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Kim B Miller is an award winning poet. She is the Poet Laureate for Prince William County, VA. She is the First African American Poet Laureate for PWC. Kim performed nationally in person and internationally online. She is the author of several books. You can find more about Kim at www.kimbmiller.com

4 Comments
Sylvia L. Blalock link
1/16/2021 11:31:51 pm

"....we’re too busy slicing up excuses
While hungry people look at an empty plate full of indecision
We don’t even offer them a cup of hope"--POWERFUL closing. Very well said.

Reply
Kim B Miller link
1/17/2021 01:27:45 am

Thank you Sylvia

Reply
Renae’ Lewis aka Dee Librarianne link
1/17/2021 06:15:22 am

Lovely poem. Using hunger as a metaphor is a great idea. Phrases intricately placed created a sense of ambiguity throughout this piece. Sometimes I literally thought you were speaking of eating, and then I’d see context revealing otherwise. I also love the call to action embedded here. Brilliant 🖊

Reply
Kim
1/17/2021 02:00:18 pm

Dee, thank you for embracing my words.

Reply



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  • Home
  • Hunger Poetry
    • Now more than ever! >
      • Now more than ever: Submitted poems
    • 2020 WFD Poetry Competition >
      • 2020 World Food Day - submitted poems
      • 2020 World Food Day Poetry Competition announcement
    • World Food Day Poetry Competition 2019 >
      • World Food Day 2019 - Submitted Poems
    • World Food Day Poetry Competition 2018 >
      • WFD 2018 - Submitted Poems
    • Maryland Poets
    • International Poets
  • About
    • About the Initiative
    • Initiative Founder
    • Advisory Board
  • News & Blog
    • Events
  • Young!
    • Poems by Young Poets
    • Videos
    • Materials for Teachers
  • Library
    • Extent of Hunger >
      • Global Hunger: Progress & Challenges
      • Hunger in the US
    • Historic Accounts of Hunger >
      • Africa
      • The Americas
      • Asia
      • Europe and Russia
    • Historical Poems
    • Interviews
  • Create
    • Prompts to help you get started
  • Contact us & Get involved!
    • Call to Action
    • Resources >
      • Global resources
      • US resources
      • Maryland resources