A Poem By Jesse Hagopian

A SNAP Decision: Eat the Rich

Hunger is the verdict—
a SNAP judgment rendered by those around the banquet table,
where gilded cutlery gleams beneath crystal chandeliers
that drizzle honeyed light over seven-course indulgences,
bellies distended with self-regard,
full of shit, yet convinced
they are full of virtue.

A SNAP of the fingers,
from the gluttonous class—
and a week’s worth of groceries gone.
You can’t eat ideology,
but ideology can eat you.

A mother whispers, “oh SNAP,”
when the card blinks declined in the checkout line,
runs the calculus in her head—
which child gets the apple,
which one waits for next month’s mercy.
A father waters down the milk,
calls it a recipe.
Their empty fridge hums in the dark,
like the vacuous conscience of the fat cats.

But keep the people hungry long enough,
and even patience
will remember its teeth.
Keep the feast sequestered too long,
and one day
the malnourished will make their own SNAP decision.

If the tables are left barren,
don’t feign surprise
when the famished plan their own feast—
dress up in something SNAPpy for the occasion—
and begin by inscribing the rich
on the menu.

***

First published on Jesse’s Substack, Teach Truth & Sing The Blues. Sign up there today to support his writing.