99poems/hungry

I am hungry and
the larder is leaner
than usual.
Not even an apple
in the house.
I settle on toast
with honey,
a cup of tea.
“Bread and water
can so easily be
toast & tea,”
my favorite mug
used to say,
before it broke
and got relegated
to the back
of the cupboard.
Of course, it still
says that, but no one
is there to listen.
So too many
joyous truths
in my life,
slip from
sight or sound.
And so it’s hard to
tell when the hunger
hits, what it is
that needs to be
filled.

5/6/99