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.
......
Buying And Selling Chapter Xi
by Khalil Gibran
And a merchant said, "Speak to us of Buying and Selling."
And he answered and said:
To you the earth yields her fruit, and you shall not want if you but know how to fill your hands.
It is in exchanging the gifts of the earth that you shall find abundance and be satisfied.
Yet unless the exchange be in love and kindly justice, it will but lead some to greed and others to hunger.
......
To The Men Of England
by Percy Bysshe Shelley
Men of England, wherefore plough
For the lords who lay ye low?
Wherefore weave with toil and care
The rich robes your tyrants wear?
Wherefore feed and clothe and save,
From the cradle to the grave,
Those ungrateful drones who would
Drain your sweat -- nay, drink your blood?
......
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.
......
Venus And Adonis
by William Shakespeare
But, lo! from forth a copse that neighbours by,
A breeding jennet, lusty, young, and proud,
Adonis' trampling courser doth espy,
And forth she rushes, snorts and neighs aloud;
The strong-neck'd steed, being tied unto a tree,
Breaketh his rein, and to her straight goes he.
Imperiously he leaps, he neighs, he bounds,
And now his woven girths he breaks asunder;
The bearing earth with his hard hoof he wounds,
......
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.
......
