I dine on matzah brei smothered with strawberry jam or grape jelly in the Spring of each year. Though I attempt to eat slow, too soon it disappears. It takes me back to a younger day. But there is something else that hangs heavy in the air to remind of a time when my ancestors fled their captives with no time for their daily bread to rise. As I eat this as a breakfast treat, I recall a time when my people were not free. I too was a slave. (c) By Richard (Dick) Epstein ![]() Dick Epstein helps guide the Memorial Day Writers Project held at the Vietnam War Memorial each Memorial and Veterans Day holidays in Washington, DC.
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The Flyer Grocery giveaway Free food for the elderly Please bring a bag A neighbor handed it to her At the bank It lay on her kitchen table For two weeks Before she taped it Inside her bare kitchen cabinet Closed doors hide more than empty shelves Even more than empty stomachs Today pride took a step To the back burner So potatoes, carrots and onions Simmer on her stove once again Pots boil freely As aromas rise Drying proud hands and tear-filled eyes On an apron accustomed to hosting family dinners for years She wipes away tears, Then picks up the phone Time to place a thank you call To a good neighbor (c) By J. Joy ‘Sistah Joy’ Matthews Alford Here is the video of Sistah Joy reading her poem The Flyer: - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NaO8dcbXD8&t=12s ![]() J. Joy ‘Sistah Joy’ Matthews Alford was appointed as the inaugural Poet Laureate of Prince George's County, Maryland in 2018. Deeply involved in poetry work since 2003, Sistah Joy is known for messages of social consciousness, inspiration and empowerment. In 2002 she received the Poet Laureate Special Award from the Washington, DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities “for her outstanding contributions to the art of poetry". |
Hunger-focused Poems by Maryland PoetsCreation of this section and publishing the works of Maryland poets was supported by the Maryland State Arts Council. Archives
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