Feeling and Longing

Debilitating addiction

Constant want

No, constant need

Never ceasing

Never waning

Always present

Looming

Over my shoulder

In my head

In my gut

Taking over

Incessant thoughts

Deepening grip

Tightening fist

Tying in knots

Nothing else

It’s all I see

It’s all I can think of

I must have it

No, I need it

Giving in

Hot or cold

Solid or liquid

Creamy or dry

Instant relief

Binging

Must have it all

It is all so good

I never want it to end

Bring me more

Satisfaction

Clouded mind

Stiff and bloated

Sleep incoming

Until next time

 

I chose the piece “La Cucina Povera” from Poems of Italian Food & Love. This poem talks about the power of hunger and the comradery that families and peasants built through their efforts to provide. I chose to imitate this because of the human effort that goes into food. More than just the human connection, food connects people with no connections. I wanted to capture the human need and desire for food. I wanted to draw similarities between an addiction that we need versus something we do not. I wanted to show what a relationship with food looks like that is not centered around family. We could all be considered food addicts. According to dictionary.com, being addicted means becoming, “physiologically or psychologically dependent” to a substance or habit. Everyone is physiologically dependent on food therefore making everyone a food addict. Of course, I am not saying that food is a narcotic, but consider why the same regulatory agency, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), presides over both. My poem is an evaluation of fast food culture and how the industrialization of food has led to its bastardization. Many people do not eat to enjoy company and share a meal, but many people eat with their next fix on their mind. While consuming one meal, they are already planning the next. What if we let hunger control us the same way other physical feelings control people? Would hunger control the same way that lust and greed controls by forcing out all human feeling in an interaction in an attempt to satiate the animal.

One Reply to “Feeling and Longing”

  1. Powerful poem, Charlie. However, your reflection falls short in aspects such as “completeness,” “specificity,” ” engagement with material,” and “connection making.” I wish you had expanded upon your answers with more details and references to the course materials and discussions. Thanks for being in this class.

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