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Hunger Poems

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 Ton Donlon

11/24/2022

0 Comments

 
YES, THEY WERE HUNGRY

I still have pay stubs from McDonald’s
where I worked in the 1960s in high school.
I made $1.10 per hour. We were allowed
to eat for free during breaks. We gobbled
burgers and fries. At Kentucky Fried Chicken,
we were able, at closing, to take home buckets
of extra cooked chicken. It was the way of life
in Northern Virginia.

When I got drafted and chose the Navy
in 1972 to avoid Vietnam, I was assigned
to ships that traveled around the world.
On one cruise, we circumnavigated Africa,
visited Iran, Pakistan, Bahrain, Sri Lanka,
and sailed through the Red Sea to the
Mediterranean. The first stop across the
Atlantic had been in Dakar, Senegal
along the northwestern coast of Africa.

It was the blank-eyed, homeless people
living in cardboard boxes on street corners
that woke me up. Barely clothed boys
surrounded us begging for help. We were
careful to protect our Kodak cameras and
wallets. I’d never heard of a famine before.

During many port stops, it was the same:
poor, homeless and hungry people were
everywhere in struggling countries. Today,
as I sit with my family and enjoy the
abundant dinners and view the full cabinets
of food at home, I take each bite with a prayer
of thanks.
Picture
Tom Donlon lives with his family in Shenandoah Junction, WV. He earned an MFA from the American University in DC and was awarded a chapbook, Peregrine, by the Franciscan University in Steubenville, OH. He has received Pushcart Prize nominations and a fellowship from the WV Commission on the Arts.

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Poem by Jay Rose Ana

11/15/2022

0 Comments

 
Break Bread

Break bread here,
     bake bread.
Mill the flower,
     knead the dough.

Tend the yeast,
     ​you are welcome here.
As you are,
     at this simple feast.

Set the table,
     if you are able.
Help with dishes,
     if your heart wishes.

For you are we,
     you will always be.
Welcome right here,
     for we are eternity.
Picture
Jay Rose Ana is a Worcestershire poet, originally from the heart of the Midlands in the United Kingdom. She explores the world from her laptop and writes her words through lived experiences, a deep soul, and a creative imagination. Jay Rose Ana is hostess of Words Collide Poetry Open-Mic and The Poetic Podcast. Her work can be found at www.jayroseana.com

0 Comments

Poem by Jay Carson

11/11/2022

2 Comments

 
After My Prayers

for me, I often have time to look
out the window at the tree-trimmed
easy lush nook of my city
and ask why the rest aren’t as lucky,
that people go hungry,
so many lining up for food,
that some in the world are starving.

I usually just stop there.
Too horrible and complex.

Last night, headlights flickered
through that delectable foliage
to my pretty-perfect apartment,
like a Morse code,
which I never took the time to learn,
and my silly woke sister
said it read:
​
Look at the plenty I have given.
And all I ask is that you share.

Jay Carson taught for many years at Robert Morris University where he was a founding advisor to the literary magazine, Rune. He has published more than 100 poems and a number of short stories in local and national journals, magazines, and collections. Jay is also the author of Irish Coffee (Coal Hill Press) and The Cinnamon of Desire (Main Street Rag).
2 Comments

Poems by Vincent J Calone

11/8/2022

1 Comment

 
​Teach a Man to Fish

Teach a man to fish- fixes it all-
Right? No? Wasn't that what they taught us?
Give a man a fish and he eats for
a day. Teach a man to fish and he


eats for a lifetime. Sounds simple right?
Well, what if there is no fishing rod?
What if there is no fishing line. What
if there is no ocean or any

fish left to catch, or stove to cook on,
or knife to clean and filet them so?
What if there was no more hunger? Or
belly to fill? Or need to nourish?

What if the man knows how to fish but
chooses not to? What if that man hates
fish. Maybe, he's allergic-what's next?
Do we force-feed him the tuna raw?

Like an obstinate child. Sent to
his room without dinner, with hunger
still unsatisfied. We think we know
what's best. Open up, chew and swallow.

*Form- Clicks Syllabics- CLXXX (Roman Numeral for 180)
​
(9 syllables per line, 5 stanzas, 4 lines per stanza, 180 syllables)

Never Expect Too Much

If only someone had saved me
the last slice of pizza...
Optimistic, but naive.
But, wouldn't it be nice?

A friendly hand to hold a door.
I beg your pardon. Oh, what for?
Never expect too much from people
and you won't be disappointed.

Always assume the worst outcome,

you'll be sad, but remain undaunted.
The world's an unkind place,
when you're waiting in a line.

When shortages and overreactions

seem to monopolize our time.
Or are we outta time? I suspect the latter.
It's inherent, baked within the batter.

If you were listening to me

in the first four stanzas, this about sums it up.
If you were expecting more,
sorry to end this so abrupt.

*Form-drabble
Picture
Vincent J Calone is a New Formalist poet. He studied under Lewis Turco- author of the "New Book of Poetic Forms" on New England Press.
Poet, playwright, actor, director- he wears different many hats but the message remains the same- Why do we do what we do? How can we change it? And how can we learn, grow and evolve? Vincent's writes and posts a new poem everyday on Raven Wire Poetry Prompts on Facebook continuously since 08/01/22 based off on the daily poetry prompt. Vincent is proud to                                                                     be part of the writing collective.

1 Comment

    Suggestions & Ideas

    Take a look at some of the writing prompts to get inspired!

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  • Home
  • Art Auction to Alleviate Hunger
  • Hunger Poetry
    • Hunger Poems
    • World Food Day Poetry Competition >
      • 2021
      • 2020
      • 2019
      • 2018
    • Maryland Poets
    • International Poets
  • About
    • About the Initiative
    • Initiative Founder
    • Advisory Board
  • News & Blog
  • 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
    • Recent highlights
  • Contact/Submit/Take Action
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Call to Action
    • Resources & Donations >
      • Global resources
      • US resources
      • Maryland resources