i wear my mask & shop in my grocery store
fresh fruits & veggies & locally produced meat
on top of my list
i inhale the scents, imagining earth's fertile soil
basking in sun, spices & oils
but this routine chore is a madman's maze
of confusing marketing pitches & items
as i am aware only too well
of what it takes to bring food to my home
there are deceptions at work in the process
to make the fruits super-sized & fresher than they are
to sell meats and milk as organic when they are not
to push for colorful packaging over bland & nutritionless items
at worst, we are vulnerable & misearable as chickens
packed in industrial farm
I know that i chose this life in the city
so I go on inhaling industrial fumes
while hopscotching over sugar-laced snacks & drinks
only too aware that others go hungry & live with the
foreshadowing of war above their homes
i am blessed to protest in my own way
while continuing to educate myself about food safety & fraud
if you can, speak up to your local community
before we all turn to codified shell-empty flower cuttings
Posted for dVerse Poets Pub - Protest Poems - I have chosen the theme and issue of food safety and fraud. Please join us when the pub doors open by 3pm EST.
