[audio:https://theotherjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/lo-portions-1.mp3|titles=lo | portions]

Home from the grocery store,
I clear out the old food
to make way for the new—
the container of eight or nine cherry
tomatoes shriveled to dull red prunes,
the partial package of shredded cheese
sporting a fuzzy beard of mold,
the half loaf of bread stale-hardened and dry,
the clump of lettuce leaves blackened and limp—
a spoiled feast filling me with guilt at this reminder
of waste when so many are hungry, but also sadness
at how food is portioned for those who eat
with others, not alone.