The food pantry is out of rice
but has plenty of boxed potatoes
leaving room for barter
a base economy
of beef stew traded for tomato soup
or egg noodles for rice
Me? I wanna be base-less
and free of cans
Rich people don’t eat canned food
and buy fresh or frozen
shop the edges of the store
while we shop the middle
a choice between hamburger helper
and ramen, hoping someday
for better meat.
Susan Daniels Poetry 
Hi! Susan! Your poetry is always relatable. We (I) spend more on food per month than any other single item; including our mortgage. Fresh veggies are not cheap but the health benefits are worth it. At least they have been in my case. When I hear the term poverty, food or the lack of good food, is the first thing that comes to mind. You don’t have to be rich to eat well but it can be a struggle. I’m sounding obsessive! Sorry! It’s your poems fault! Leo
Yay! It hit the right spot then! I wanted this to start a conversation 😉
I agree that wealth is not a prerequisite for eating well (I garden like a madwoman over here!), bu7t it does help.
Gave a neighbor a ride to the food pantry a day or so ago and this was the result. They were actually out of rice and this poem was born.
Inequities show up everywhere, even in supermarkets and in the location, level and way food types are arranged on shelves. I call these the latitudes and longitudes of inequality. Your poem captures these lines and how they coincide with lines of separation on the food floor.