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Hunger-focused Poems by Maryland Poets

Pitch In by Ladi Di

5/23/2019

1 Comment

 
People are hungry, yet people continue to
waste food.
Her meals were from partially eaten
sandwiches thrown in public trash
cans.
She watched a child throw away a sandwich
one bite out of it.
Getting sandwich from can immediately
would be her evening meal.

People are hungry, yet people continue to
waste food.
An apple, a pear, a peach, some cherries
Some grapes to help provide nutrition
To help curb appetite
Praying to God above, never to give up
Ferocious fight.

People are hungry, yet people continue to
waste food.
A project for many years, helping my Mother
Make sandwiches in our kitchen
with Family and Friends
Taking sandwiches to organizations, like
S.O.M.E, So Others Might Eat brings on
cheers, chants yea food is here.

People are hungry, yet people continue to
waste food.
Standing on Main Avenue in freezing cold
And snow, holding sign stating HELP ME
FEED MY CHILDREN, IF ONLY FOR ONE
NIGHT!!!

People are hungry, yet people continue to
waste food.
All across the world people die from hunger
 and malnutrition to ignore this plight would
 be a ridiculous selfish shame.

People are hungry, yet people continue to
waste food.
What can you do, what can I do, what can others do, to end this international plague?
The answer is blowing in the wind, doing
Something consistent, we can all PITCH IN.

People are hungry, yet people continue to
waste food.
 
(c) By Sylvia Dianne Beverly (“Ladi Di”)
Picture
Sylvia Dianne Beverly (Ladi Di).
A collection of her work is housed at George Washington University's Gelman Library.  Ladi Di celebrated the 40th Anniversary of Host Grace Cavalieri, reading on her show "The Poet and the Poem" at the                                          Library of Congress Experience.
  You can contact Ladi Di here.

1 Comment

Matzah Brei by Dick Epstein

5/23/2019

0 Comments

 
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
Picture
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 by Sistah Joy

5/2/2019

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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
Picture
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".​

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    Hunger-focused Poems by Maryland Poets

    Creation of this section and publishing the works of Maryland poets was supported by the Maryland State Arts Council.

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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