Poem by Dianna L. Grayer

Feed the Bellies

The children cry, 
Squeals in the day.
Tossing and turning in the night.
Piercing the hearts and souls of their parents.
Who themselves are,
Bewildered, distraught - deprived.
Unable to help their children or themselves.

Kids are hungry.
Without food in this wide wide world of resources.
Empty bellies. Empty spirits.
Enduring pain, ongoing suffering,
A void of nutrients because of lack of resources,
Or the lack of consciousness and compassion?

The children cry because of waste. 
Insensitivity and selfishness.
A lack of care.
When buckets of fruit drop and left to rot. 
When vegetables overgrow and tossed away.
When tons of food decay in our stores and factories.
When we take more than we can chew.
And scrape the rest down the drain or in the garbage.

Stop wasting food when the young bellies hurt.
The earth’s bounty delivers enough for us all.
There’s an abundance of food in this wide wide world.
Share the resources.
Nourish the innocent souls.
Let them survive and thrive- so they can rise.
Grow it -can it -dry it -and ship it.
Lives depends on it.
With compassion, empathy and consciousness, 
We can quell the hungry cries.
Feed the bellies. Feed the people.

Dianna L. Grayer, PhD., is a Marriage and Family Therapist in Northern California and has been in private practice for over 25 years.  She is also an author, speaker, playwright, director and producer. She spends most of her free time writing poems, plays and children’s books.  Dr. Grayer loves to empower, inspire and educate others so that they can live fuller and happier lives. 

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