Child who's missed a meal,
I watch your high hopes crumble.
It's hard to hear a dream
above your stomach's rumble.
|
Author Notes
A naani is an Indian form of poetry of four lines with a total of 20-25 syllables. It traditionally comments on the human condition.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in 2007 36.2 million people in America lived in households considered food insecure. 12.4 million of those were children. Because of hunger assistance programs like food stamps and WIC, children do not starve to death in the United States. But often their families run out of money before the end of the month and skip meals to stretch the budget. This is made worse in the months of summer vacation when school is out and free breakfast and lunch programs are no longer available in areas without summer day camps. Children who experience this kind of hunger do not die, but often their sense of the possibilities that exist in the world do. Unlike that little old ant in the classic song who has high apple pie in the sky hopes, they learn from experience that hopes are for other people, not them. This naani reflects on children in developed countries who are in this situation. It does not even begin to touch on the fate of children in other parts of the world who die, in large numbers, each and every day, from complete lack of nutrition.
|
|
