Famine The grocery store gave us seven bananas we didn’t ask for in our curbside pickup bag. Our next door neighbor said he’d take three off our hands for his trip tomorrow to Utah. His wife with dementia gone just a week. The other three are going to our neighbor on the other side, who gave up sugar but not fruit, so God would let her daughter keep the newly adopted baby during the trial period. And we’re keeping one. Banana. The New York Times asks if we have been hungry and the answer is no. But I wish I could find more bananas for all the hungry people, children and their parents. Then I would be doing more than writing about it. About how this pandemic is starving some of us. I would figure out a way to feed the people who are ravenous, give them food trucks, restaurants, unlimited curbside pickups. Because it’s not okay to be famished, to be craving security when there isn’t so much, people dying as usual and more than usual. At least the baby is going to stay where she is. At least one less tragedy to face. Click on the file below to listen to Phyllis reading her poem:
Phyllis Klein’s work has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. She has a new book, The Full Moon Herald from Grayson Books. Living in the San Francisco Bay Area for over 30 years, she sees writing as artistic dialogue between author and readers—an intimate relationship-building process that fosters healing on many levels.
1 Comment
Cathy Porter
7/10/2020 10:06:36 pm
These poems all resonate! A particular shout-out to Lisa Reynolds: "I'm hungry.." what a gut-punch. Excellent work!
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Now more than everThese poems have been submitted to the call for poetry "Now more than ever" Archives
October 2021
Poets
All
|