“Food Banks”

by  Bonnie Briggs

Published: June 25, 2009

So, it’s off to the food bank one more time,
Hours of waiting in that long, long line.
Every month you make this trip,
Ask yourself, is it worth it?
Half-dead vegetables and second-hand food,
You rarely get anything that’s any good.
Canned food and that horrid Kraft Dinner,
We all know that stuff’s not a winner.
All around us food banks close,
They say, to ease the financial load.
But what about the load of hunger we bear?
What about us? Does anyone care?
We need food, to live we must eat,
Even those who live on the street.
Because Welfare rates are so low,
To rent, our food money must go.
What will replace the food banks that close?
We need to be making more of those.
So I’m off on my monthly trip to the city,
Believe me, the picture’s not pretty.
I’m hungry because there’s no food,
I am sick because the food is no good.
This is the life of a person who’s poor,
Is that all there is? Is there nothing more?

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