Insatiable Hungers

There are two kinds of hunger.
Survival hunger and 
The hunger for reassurance. 

Survival hunger is midnight skin 
And coffee eyes,
Reaching out desperately through
Harsh desert winds, 
Knees and ribs jutting out 
Miles into the air, 
Apparently invisible to the 
Plush bodies of those on the other side
Of an uncrossable sea. 

The hunger for reassurance is
Feeling pity for those massive eyes
And trembling lips that glow out from
Our flat screen televisions. 
Yes, how horrible for them,
But look how blessed we are, 
Let us hold plump hands and thank someone
That we did not get 
The short end of the stick. 

Survival hunger is
Being too terrified to close your eyes. 
It is the growling tummies of children
Punctuating the night's sounds. 
It is traveling in a pack 
Because going alone would mean 
Falling into the paws of a lion. 

The hunger for reassurance. 
Clinging to our smartphones so that
We may catch the latest news story, 
Watching terror bloom across our screens
And sigh,
Then reopen Twitter. 

One hundred and forty characters tops, 
Let it reassure you that your supposed friends
Your... followers 
Know your each and every fleeting thought. 

Survival hunger. Your followers are 
Orphaned children whose parents
Were killed in cold blood, were killed
Because they prayed to someone that
The people with guns didn't like. 
These children follow you,
Or die. 

Both hungers are bottomless. 
There will always be too many ribs visible, 
Too many tiny hands trembling with fatigue. 
There will always be a deep, first-world need 
To reassure ourselves that we've got it all 
So that we sleep well when we turn out the lights. 

The world is unbalanced and threatening to capsize, 
But we could set the scales right again, 
If only we filled their bellies before
We filled our guilty conscience, which always seems
To  be looking over its shoulder. 

Reviews

[quixotic_rose]

Wow, this is a really emotion evoking piece. I feel that this is a strong, strong poem that illuminates the voices of many. You're speaking up for those in need, but at the same time you show how people who've seemingly have it all struggle as well. We both have struggles, and you pointed them out in a very powerful way. I greatly respect this poem, and thank you for sharing.
QR.

[Tinotenda Nyevedzanai]

"It is traveling in a pack " - travelling*

I think this poem is excellent, very clever and emphatic. I think this piece should be edited and shortened and then I really think this could be published.

[Falling Leaf.]

In American English, it is traveling. Thank you.

[Tinotenda Nyevedzanai]

I forget that some people write in American apologies!

[Robert Strzalko]

Very good, descriptive and filled with thoughts and emotion.

[Terrence Chang]

Crazy writing. Falling leaf I am truly amazed at your thought and the way you present it. Love the way you write.

[Valentine]

I am happy to see that more than one writer is bringing this sad problem out into the open. We all are human beings, on earth for such a short while, love others as you would want them to love you. Valentine

[jacob erin-cilberto]

incredible, incredible...
the idea of "thank God, that's not us"

wouldn't want to be in their shoes...aren't we lucky for what we have?
all of that hunger and poverty is seas away from us, we think.
but i relate to this poem in two ways...feeling luck to have survived the last 20 some years with just enough to get by barely, and also knowing how close by that other realm has been all the way along.
love this write.
and yes, there are those with guilty consciences looking over their shoulder, as well as many of the rest of us looking over our shoulders as well---knowing the closeness of poverty...it hovers the next block over.

[Falling Leaf.]

Thank you, Jacob, I appreciate it. :)

[The Twin Arenas]

midnight skin and coffee eyes are good images.

you should edit this a bit. someone told me once that poetry is life distilled. that's good advice

[Falling Leaf.]

I'm afraid I don't understand?

[The Twin Arenas]

trim the fat

[Falling Leaf.]

Ah, okay, I can take a look. Thanks!

[R Smith]

powerful stuff, enough to set us tumbling down the corridors of conscience a reminder to the world of our need to help those less fortunate, well said Falling Leaf, bravo :)

[Falling Leaf.]

Thank you, Richard. :)

[Jerome F Knox III pseud..]

There are things I have learned; hell has no fury like woman scorned nor a poet who is gifted and knows it and can show it painted on a canvas for all the world to see.

[Falling Leaf.]

Thank you, Rico!

[ANTO]

Man this is a conscience-jolting write! A well constructed commentary on the world we inhabit with its dichotomy of wealth and poverty.
The imagery is shocking as was intended I feel - bones sticking into the sky, plump hands (of Westerners which get wrung in despair just long enough to allow for 140 chars to be uploaded., then they're busy typing and swiping again) - The 85 Richest People In The World Have As Much Wealth As The 3.5 Billion Poorest.
This is powerful writing FallingLeaf - truly!

[Falling Leaf.]

It is heartbreaking. Thanks for the review!