Food Poems
We Refugees
by Benjamin Zephaniah
I come from a musical place
Where they shoot me for my song
And my brother has been tortured
By my brother in my land.
I come from a beautiful place
Where they hate my shade of skin
They don't like the way I pray
And they ban free poetry.
......
Woodchucks
by Maxine Kumin
Gassing the woodchucks didn't turn out right.
The knockout bomb from the Feed and Grain Exchange
was featured as merciful, quick at the bone
and the case we had against them was airtight,
both exits shoehorned shut with puddingstone,
but they had a sub-sub-basement out of range.
Next morning they turned up again, no worse
for the cyanide than we for our cigarettes
and state-store Scotch, all of us up to scratch.
......
An Anatomy Of The World...
by John Donne
When that rich soul which to her heaven is gone,
Whom all do celebrate, who know they have one
(For who is sure he hath a soul, unless
It see, and judge, and follow worthiness,
And by deeds praise it? He who doth not this,
May lodge an inmate soul, but 'tis not his)
When that queen ended here her progress time,
And, as t'her standing house, to heaven did climb,
Where loath to make the saints attend her long,
She's now a part both of the choir, and song;
......
Valentine
by Carol Ann Duffy
Not a red rose or a satin heart.
I give you an onion.
It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.
It promises light
like the careful undressing of love.
Here.
It will blind you with tears
like a lover.
......
Nature Trail
by Benjamin Zephaniah
At the bottom of my garden
There's a hedgehog and a frog
And a lot of creepy-crawlies
Living underneath a log,
There's a baby daddy long legs
And an easy-going snail
And a family of woodlice,
All are on my nature trail.
There are caterpillars waiting
......
Locked Away
by Evelyn Judy Buehler
Peter Perkins loved tasty pumpkin, in pies, in puddings and etcetera;
Which filled their house with tempting smells, so said his wife, Elena.
Beloved Elena was a splendid cook, to which fond Peter could attest,
With hand over his crimson heart, like rouge sun dyeing in the west.
The Perkins had a bouncy pet rabbit; and they called him 'Scamper,'
Like pretty, fall leaves forever flying, in hues red, purple and amber.
Frigid days had turned fragrant, and the friendly friends came calling,
......
Yayu's AI Takeout
by Yayu Uppsurya
Amidst the glow of neon lights,
A paper box, the dream ignites;
With greasy hands and hungry sighs,
We chase the scent, where virtue lies.
In hollow streets, the ghosts parade,
A symphony of choice displayed;
Yet hunger gnaws at empty bowls,
As plastic wraps conceal our goals.
......
To Good Health
by Evelyn Judy Buehler
Jack Sprat and wife Mary, lived in a glory of lemony, chiffon days;
Like maroon birds keep on singing, until the sunset, orange phase.
They were comfy and happy, like a picnic in lavish, emerald grass;
And had a black dog and a calico cat, like red Mars making a pass.
While Jack was a large man, his beloved wife, contrarily, was tiny.
They gardened after church on Sundays, as sweet time went slyly.
At the mauve hour of dinner, they enjoyed each other's company,
......
Yayu's AI Chestnuts Noodles
by Yayu Uppsurya
Under the autumn canopy, a story unfolds,
Of chestnuts and noodles, some thick and some thin,
With the rustle of leaves, the season's joys are told,
A simple meal where flavors blend in.
Chestnuts, gathered from the ground's amber hue,
Their tough shells give way to the boil and bubble,
In the kitchen, they soften, then glue,
Their richness to the pot, a subtle trouble.
......
Creation Is A Feast
by Everleigh Blackburn
the sizzle of garlic in oil,
spices whisper secrets,
the warmth of butter melting,
golden, fragrant, inviting—
a melody of textures,
the rhythm of chopping, slicing,
the heartbeat of a meal,
onions sizzle their golden secrets.
......
