Inherited Hunger – The Child

a child who feels empty will try and fill
themselves with anything. my mother scoffs
at me when I get up for seconds and says:

“do you really need another plate?”

I hold my stomach and realize it doesn’t
matter how much I eat; without her love,
I’ll always be starving. children instinctively
need to be accepted, protected, cherished,
and loved. I’m a seed waiting for water, but
my thirst is for something I can’t drink.

I have an inherited hunger, passed down from
generation to generation, waiting to be
satiated. we’ve reached for men, alcohol, food,
and drugs, but nothing could ever fill us up.

a child will always be hungry
until they are fed with love.

by Rose Brik