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Poem by Ann Bracken

3/28/2026

At the Grocery Store

You see him or someone like him
Every time you’re at the store.
Scraggly gray hair, worn and dirty clothes, weathered skin, sunken eyes.
You don’t want to look at him because you don’t know
What to say, what to do, how to help.
You, who can walk into the store and buy anything you want.
Inside, you drop sandwiches, a few desserts, and some chips
into your cart and search for a cold drink.
On your way out, you hand the man a bag of food—just some lunch, you say
And he smiles—his teeth are stained, his lips cracked and dry.
“You know there’s a shelter down the block,” you tell hm.
“Thank you, ma’am. My wife’s there because she needs oxygen.
Me, I’m sleeping in the woods, but just until those new apartments
Open up across the street.” His story keeps unspooling—Iraq veteran, lost his job,
Unable to pay his medical bills. I see a quiet dignity in his gray-green eyes when he says,
“But, yes, ma’am, my wife and I will be good again when we’re in the new place.”
Both of us nourished in that shared moment.

THEME: Adult Hunger

Ann Bracken has published three poetry collections and a memoir. She has served as a contributing editor for Little Patuxent Review and co-facilitates the Wilde Readings Poetry Series in Columbia, Maryland. Her poetry, essays, and interviews have appeared in numerous anthologies and journals, including Awakenings Review, Mad in America, and Gargoyle. Her work has been featured on Best American Poetry, and she’s been a guest on Grace Cavalieri’s The Poet and The Poem radio show.

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Poem by Hiram Larew

3/16/2026

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Why the Difference Café
Brunch Menu

We proudly use locally available ingredients. Prices may vary.

*** Starts ***
Fried Calamari with Peppered Remoulade
or
Salt Crackers, Lightly Crumbled

*** Mains ***
Steak Tartare with Couscous and Scallion Tapenade
or
Peanut Butter on Bread

*** Accompaniments ***
Haricot Verts with Toasted Coconut Flakes
or
Slice, American Cheese

*** Sweets ***
Glazed Seasonal Berries with Pistachio Macaroons
or
Chewing Gum

*** Beverages ***
Cinnamon Mocha Latte with Soy
or
Tap Water

THEME: Stark differences in food availability.

BIO: Hiram Larew founded the informal Poetry X Hunger initiative in 2017 as a way to bring two areas of interest – poetry and hunger prevention – together. Upon retiring from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, where he helped guide international agriculture programs, he noticed that relatively little poetry about hunger was available. Believing in the power of poetry to touch hearts and minds, he launched Poetry X Hunger as a way to encourage poets to write about hunger.

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Hunger Poems

Poem by Ann Bracken

Poem by Hiram Larew

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