Food Pantry

Food Pantry

glenda's not poor
but her best
and only friend
is

glenda's friend
is so poor
she doesn't always
have a car
and glenda's helped her out
with a few rides
in her times
of desperate need

glenda's friend
is so poor
she receives
sacks and boxes
from the church's
food pantry
every month

from the church's
boxes and sacks
her friend picks
what she wants and needs
then offers glenda
what remains
as thanks
for helping her out
when she didn't
have a car

she drops the food
off at glenda's
when she leaves
glenda complains to her husband
how her friend
always picks through 
for the best stuff
leaving glenda
with nothing but scraps
which isn't much thanks
for the times
of driving her
to her doctor

glenda says
for being a friend
and helping her
in the past
she figures 
she too 
though not poor
deserves a little
of the best stuff
from time to time

glenda's peeved
at being left 
with nothing more
than the scraps
and remains
of what the poor
don't even want

nonetheless
glenda gleans
through the boxes and sacks
for anything
she might
want for herself
before calling her daughter
who sometimes 
needs a few things
too

glenda
calls her daughter
to let her know
she's got more boxes and sacks
of stuff
from the food pantry
to give her

her daughter
brushes it off
before hanging up
saying
she'll come get it 
when she can

glenda tells her husband
indignantly
as she'll tell her daughter
indignantly
she ought to be more grateful
for what her mother's
trying
to give
and for how much 
as a mother
she's trying
to help
a daughter
that sometimes
needs

glenda's husband
asks
when her daughter
is coming to get
all those boxes and sacks
stored in the basement
because they're down there
cluttering things up
and making a mess

glenda says
she doesn't know
but she wishes
her daughter
would hurry up
and be more grateful
and appreciate it more
so there'd be more room
down in the basement
for getting around
to the washer and dryer