Poetry X Hunger
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Poem by Buffy Aakaash

3/26/2022

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Slow Food
for Sandor Katz

In the age of modern miracles:
Frozen logs of plastic-wrapped dough
make perfect cookies in minutes.
You give your spouse the extra time
to bring home the bread,
the wheat, the staff of life,
modified for convenience
in the company lab.
It’s food on the table,
once you’ve paid the gas
and pinched the moment
in a microwave,
lending more minutes
to your dual income
for delicious splendor
in fractions of the moment.
 
But ancient wisdom says:
Food for the soul takes
a good spell in the kitchen to make
a little sweetness in your life,
to bake a proper loaf you might need
patience for the yeast in the air
to make love in your dough,
give it rise, punch it down,
kneed it with your arms,
place it in your womb,
the oven of your ardor – a creation
from the mountain of earth,
the straw from your fields
and rocks from the river,
in the fire you made with your own hands
from the wood the trees gave you
in the last big storm.
Picture
Buffy Aakaash grew up queer in the hills and lakes of New Jersey west of New York City. His work is published in The Poet Magazine, Oberon, Iris Literary Journal, Write Launch, Main Street Rag, and others. He lives, travels and moves about with his dog, Bodhi.

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Poem by Nityananda Khanal

3/26/2022

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Lost Legacy of Farming Life

All terrains from extensive plains,
to the valleys, hills and mountains
cleared bushes and carved terraces
diked plots to win nature’s graces
turned all wastes into bountiful manure
reaped harvest then, nurturing the future

Pens and barns, full of goats, buffaloes, cattle
perennial chores of livelihood battle
tending livestock with love & care
adoring feeding stalls to grazing pasture
as if a genuine steward of natural treasure
in lieu of pails of milk for family to savor
and supplement labor with draft power
reaped harvest then, nurturing the future

Selling produce, goats, cattle and buffalos
a desire to observe festivals with new clothes
enduring heat, cold, storm and rain
grateful for enough to eat, feed and entertain
respecting heritage of colorful culture
reaped harvest then, nurturing the future

A rustic homestead with a house and barns
dwelling joint family of three generations
from grandparents to grand children
sharing woes & with love & affection
together with kin, cohorts and neighbor
reaped harvest then, nurturing the future

The tale is not just a poetic fiction
but is the gist of nostalgic recollection
and a reflection of childhood of my own
witnessing ancestral diligence and devotion
may it give us wisdom and inspiration
perpetually for future generations
Picture
Nityananda was born and raised in a farm family in a rural mountainous village of Lumbini zone in Nepal. A quest of higher education brought him to
Canada. After getting a Doctor of Philosophy degree in plant science from University of Saskatchewan in Canada, he has been working as a research scientist
in Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. He is a life member of the Association of Nepalese Agricultural Professionals of Americas, where he currently chairs the Resource and Capacity Building Committee.

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Poem by Patricia Trentacoste

3/26/2022

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hunger

in a parallelogram of sunshine beyond a breezeway window
ten barefoot steps from a small kitchen’s small sink

grows a well-staked garden under some rabbit proof mesh
not far from where an old hose seeps over moss-covered flagstones

raised from seed and tidied by fussing fingers and a Mother’s wooden-handled spade,
the plants come of age, jostling in their cribs and cracking the pottery

coiling with ringlets, feral interests, squash blossoms, and green hairy stems, they are no longer the grower’s nurslings and have questions:

why do we belong in this gardener’s dream?
why not someone else’s?

someone for whom a handful of berries might fill a plate too long empty
slake a hunger, borne forever

kale, squash, dill-weed, beets, peppers, parsley, basil and butter beans
leafy foods in every color, how can there not be enough for every plate?

i have no answers, she tells them, then savoring the bounty, wishing she could do more, the gardener fills her bowl to the brim, and after sating her hunger, scrapes the leftovers into the compost bin and reties the garden stakes because there are hungry rabbits too
Picture
After decades of teaching literature and philosophy, Patricia now lives in Northern Michigan’s Sleeping Bear Dunes area in a cradle of sky, water and trees, where she writes and makes art about people in relation to their habitats. Past publications include small press literary journals; academic philosophy forums, Women’s Day Magazine, and a feature column for a tri-county paper.

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Poem by Sylvia Dianne Beverly aka Ladi Di

2/6/2022

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Homeless and Hungry

Where do I go to be safe?
Where, oh where do my children
     and I get a bite to eat during
     this pandemic?
Let it be told so someone can help
     our stomachs not to hurt.
So hungry, so cold at night!
My babies can not stop crying
Fear and pains reasons why.
Change gotta come for survival
     to remain.
Hard times drive us to be Homeless
     and Hungry
Wide-eyed Innocent Children stare
     in Wonderment
All babies know are severe pains of hunger
All babies want are a peanut butter and jelly
     ​sandwich
How about an apple, how about a
     banana, or sip of milk, some juice.
Hear babies’ feeble cry
Listen how they whimper.
Can you please show us way to
     shelter and food?
Food will take away pain
Unite to help rid our hunger, help
     Mothers stay sane.
Unity brings phenomenal change.
Thank you for awesome help you
     give to ex out gloom.
So my babies will stop crying
So my babies will have cover
     ​over head soon
Picture
Sylvia Dianne Beverly (Ladi Di) entered this poem about food waste in the 2018 World Food Day Poetry Prize competition.  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.

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Poem by Milton Carp

2/6/2022

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Hunger is the Norm

The child, a mere skeleton,
looks up with glazed over
eyes, and a blank stare.

I look back and wish to
help, too feed him,
​but it is too late.

His frail body
cannot absorb
nourishment. We are
looking
into the eyes of death.

He accepts it without
question. For, you see,
to him starvation and
death are the norm.
Picture
Milton says, “My poems are not entirely mine. They belong to the people and events of my passage through life. The sum of my life experiences, with more to come, I am sure. Once the dam is breached its contents flow unabridged. I also express myself through my art and craft work of dream catchers and mini sculptures. With the support of family and friends I continue to be creative and productive.”

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Poem by Joyce Williams Graves

2/6/2022

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MOM, NO MORE

Mom, please…
I know it’s not right to say,
But, Mom, there’s not enough food for
My six siblings and me to eat.
You see, I wanted another peanut butter
and jam sandwich last night.
But, you said, “Only one sandwich per child.”
It’s just too many of us to feed, Mom.
We are always hungry and sad.
Mom, I know you are doing your best,
But my stomach tells me it needs more food.
Maybe if you pray another hour,
God will hear your cry—and the growls of my stomach!
Hunger is not the best feeling for a child.
It’s not good for a growing child, you know.
All I think about is eating a good, hot meal.
I do believe it will get better one day.
But until it does,
Mom, please…
No more babies.

The cry of a seven-year-old boy--
Picture
Joyce Williams Graves is a native of Fredericksburg, Virginia.  She lives in Fort Washington, MD (over 20 years) with her husband Glen Graves. She is a woman of faith. She has been retired for 7 years. Ms. Graves worked at the Environmental Protection Agency for 22 years for the Office of Inspector General as an Information Technology (IT) manager. She is an Entrepreneur and works as an independent skincare consultant (Jafra International) for 8 years. She has been a US Notary Public for over 30 years. Ms. Graves is a playwright. Her play is called, “Cotton Field to Concert Hall.” It was performed at the Public Playhouse (2017) and the Kennedy Center (2018). Her hobbies are painting, writing poems, swimming, walking, playing chess. Ms. Graves is a Numismatist (Coins Collector).

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Poem by Anna Yin

2/6/2022

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Raspberries

On our bed
​we lie like flatfish.

Outside, stars grow older.

The moon, a white cocoon,
casts its image on the river.
In sparse shadows
a willow dangles.

Along the thorn fences
raspberries bleed.

​They remember
once being the fire
drawing the moth
flapping its wings
​to flames of love.
Picture
Anna Yin was Mississauga’s Inaugural Poet Laureate (2015-2017) and has authored five collections of poetry and “Mirrors and Windows” (Guernica Editions) in 2021. Her poems/translations have appeared at ARC Poetry, New York Times, China Daily, CBC Radio, World Journal etc. Anna won several poetry awards and also teaches Poetry Alive. Her website: annapoetry.com

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Poem by Faris Ahmed

2/6/2022

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Fractured Food System Blues
(a blues in 5 voices)

1.
They call me a small farmer, but I’ve got a big list of to-do’s
Feed the world… cool the planet…
Try walking just one day in my shoes
Cause, I got the Fractured Food System Blues

2.
I’m Jamaican, but I’m kneeling down on your land
Never Canadian, but what you’re eating was picked by these hands
No rights, no shelter, no heat in winter,
And the worst kinds of abuse
I've got the Fractured Food System Blues

3.
I’m a community garden, right in your neighborhood
I can connect friends & families, young & old
Leafy greens, peppers, tomatoes, of all sizes, shapes and hues
To wash away your Fractured Food System Blues

4.
We’re Food Policy Councils, now how do you put that in a song
Peoples voices and ideas that make decision-making strong!
But inclusive governance mechanisms will never make the news
We’ve got the Fractured Food System Blues

​5.
Agroecology and food sovereignty
We’re more than just words, or theories, or novelty
We’re the roadmap, and the journey, so go ahead and take your cues
We’re Transformative Pathways, for your Fractured Food System Blues.

Click on the file below to listen to the poem:
​Faris Ahmed is a poet from Ontario, Canada.
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Poem by Linda Pastan

2/6/2022

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Hunger

In the battle between
hunger and
​thirst
​
thirst may win.
And yet the song
of the empty belly
​
fills the air
with its plaintive
notes.

There are
only losers
here.
Picture
Linda Pastan’s 14th book of poems, Insomnia, was published in October of 2015. In 2003 she won the Ruth Lilly Prize for lifetime achievement. Almost An Elegy will be published by Norton in 2022

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Poem by Henry Farkas

1/29/2022

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Food is Important

Food is important, but it’s not the only important thing.
The world is dependent on cooperation.
If people didn’t cooperate, lions would have wiped us out
Long ago.

Cooperation means we all work together
To make the world better for all life forms.
Not just us.

There are already more human beings than there ought to be.
That’s why there’s hunger and starvation in the world.
But we also have very clever people
Who can figure out ways to collaborate for a better world.

Cooperation means we all work together
To make the world better for all life forms.
Not just us.

We need to adjust the climate, increase green energy,
Stop burning fossil fuels, and improve agricultural techniques.
We need to preserve species from extinction
And learn more about the biology of our single blue planet.

Cooperation means we all work together
To make the world better for all life forms.
Not just us.

We need to find a way to stop having wars, 
Religious, political, and crime-related wars.
We need to stop pollution, stop destruction, 
And transform the world to a collaboration
Of all people.

Cooperation means we all work together
To make the world better for all life forms.
Not just us.

Here's a link to the YouTube of Henry reciting his poem: 
https://youtu.be/oUUlMiqaqbQ
Picture
Henry Farkas, MD is an old retired country doctor. He's also a cancer survivor.

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    About

    The poems that follow are powerful evidence that Poetry Speaks Back to Hunger!

    They were submitted to the 2021 World Food Day Special Call for Poems from North American Poets.  Several of these poems will be showcased in the coming weeks by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the Capital Area Food Bank.  

    Thanks to poets Josephine LoRe (Alberta, Canada), Brian Donnell James (Virginia, USA) and Martiza Rivera (Maryland, USA) for helping to assess the poems.  Thanks also to Rebecca Roach for donating nearly 1200 tree seedlings on behalf of the poets who submitted work.  And, a big thanks to poet Aaron R who helped to administer the Special Call. ​

    Archives

    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021

    Poets

    All
    Anna Mioduchowska
    Anna Yin
    Antoni Ooto
    Aressa Williams
    Argus McCallum
    Bartholomew Barker
    Bhikshuni Weisbrot
    Buffy Aakaash
    Cleveland Wall
    David Bartlett
    Diane Sahms-Guarnieri
    Dianna L. Grayer
    Eileen Trauth
    Elijah Pringle
    Elizabeth Black
    Ellen Bass
    Faris Ahmed
    Grace Cavalieri
    Heather Meloche
    Heidi Mordhorst
    Henry Farkas
    Jamie Brown
    John Guzlowski
    John L. Dutton II
    Joyce Williams Graves
    Justin Johnson
    Keith Inman
    Laurel Chambers
    Lauren Camp
    Linda Fischer
    Linda Nemec Foster
    Linda Pastan
    Linda Wolfe
    Margaret Patricia Eaton
    Mark Fishbein
    Megha Sood
    Milton Carp
    Molly Ponkevich Burack
    Nityananda Khanal
    Patricia Trentacoste
    Patsy Asuncion
    Richard Stukey
    Ryan Gibbs
    Sandra Rivers-Gill
    Shan Overton
    Sharon Olson
    Sistah Joy
    Stewart Acuff
    Sylvia Dianne Beverly Aka Ladi Di
    Teresa Méndez-Quigley
    Theresa Tull McGinnis
    Thomas Schuelke
    Willeena Booker

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  • Home
  • Hunger Poetry
    • 2021 World Food Day >
      • Poems Submitted for the 2021 World Food Day Poetry Competition
    • Poets Speak Back to Hunger
    • 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
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    • Initiative Founder
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  • Young!
    • Poems by Young Poets
    • Videos
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  • 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
  • Create
    • Prompts to help you get started
  • Contact/Submit/Take Action
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Call to Action
    • Resources & Donations >
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      • US resources
      • Maryland resources