Hunger

This is what I wrote which trying to motivate the kids to do their essays.  It is not 'original' in the sense that it is based on the poem that I used to teach years ago.

"You better come down.Dinner's getting cold." Mother yelled for the umpteenth time. So far, none of the children responded. They were probably lost in their virtual world, and lost track of the time again.

She sighed. She wondered if she ought to go upstairs and bring them down.  She had taken the trouble to cook a delicious meal that evening - chicken rice, vegetables and steamed fish.  After all, the doctor had advised her to watch Boy-Boy's diet. He has been deemed as obese. She had been upset. To her, he has yet to lose his baby fat.

Her eyes caught sight of what was going on on that little TV in the kitchen.  The documentary on Channel 12 was featuring the situation in Somalia.  The famine-plagued country was torn apart by civil war.  There were images of tiny babies - with sunken eyes, hollowed cheeks and bloated stomachs - victims of malnutrion.

"The Red Cross is appealing for donations" the commentator's coice droned. Numbers kept flashing across the screen.  But Mother did not quite notice .  She was busy pouring a large cup of Cola for Boy-boy. It was going to be a treat. He has been pouting eversince the she had to cut back his food.

The boy in question came into the room, and immediately sulked when he saw the food on the table. "I want MacDonald's!" he demanded, his chubby cheeks puffed in anger.

"But darling, You had that yesterday. Today it's your favourite chicken rice." she coaxed.  But he glared at her, grabbed the glass of fizzy drink she had unconsciously offered, and walked off.  She wondered about the battles she will now have with him.

Then something on the screen caught her attention again. The scenes were graphic.  Skinny, bony women carried half-dead infants in their arms.  But she could not understand why the TV was showing pictures of naked women. How can the board of censors allow this? It was a good thing that Boy-boy has left the room.

Her teenaged daughter came bouncing into the room.  She too looked at the food in disdain.  "You know I can't eat this, Mummy! I'm on a diet. All this food will make me fat!"

Mother looked at the spread left untouched on the table. She sighed.  She would have to eat dinner alone - again.  But then, something on TV pulled her eyes back to the screen.  This time, it was the images of scrawny children, picking up leftover scraps from the filthy ground - mixed with dung and waste.


"Eeewwww...How disgusting!" she commented. The sight had turned her stomach. She now has lost her appetite.  She was no longer hungry.

But she, was not going to waste food. She had always disliked keeping food overnight.  So she carefully packed up the food and fed it to the stray dogs in the neighbourhood.  Then she picked up the familiar number of MacDonald's delivery, so that Boy-boy would not go hungry that night.

(written - 6 October 2011)