Prayer of the Hunger by W. Rendra

Prayer of the Hunger by W. Rendra

HUNGER is a smooth black

crow.

Millions of crows

like a black cloud.

O God!

How terrifying crows are.

And hunger is a black crow.

Continually terrifying.

Hunger is rebellion.

Is the mysterious force

moving the murderer’s knife

in the hand of the poor.

Hunger is coral rocks

beneath the sleeping face of the sea.

Is tears of deceit.

Is the betrayal of honour.

a strong young man crying

To see his own hands

lay honour down

because of hunger.

Hunger is a devil

Hunger is a devil offering dictatorship.

 O God!

Hunger is black hands

putting handfuls of alum

into the stomach of the poor.

O God!

We kneel.

Our eyes are Your eyes.

This is Your mouth.

This is Your heart.

And this is Your stomach.

Your stomach hungers, O God.

Your stomach hews alum

 and broken glass.

O God!

How nice a plate of rice,

a bowl of soup and a cup of coffee would be.

O God!

Hunger is a crow.

millions of black crows

like a black cloud

blotting out my view

of Your heaven.

prayer for the hungry

INTERPRETATION:

The speaker pray to God to see these people that are starving. He says that a crow is the symbol of hunger, we all know that a crow is a kind of bird that eats anything, and he also says crow is evil, because crow will do anything for their food evn though it takes to kill. The crow symbolizes humans that are starving, that they would do anything for their self or their families just to find food even if it takes to kill someone.The main message of the poem is to show to the reader that there are people out there who needs our help. It explains that many people out there are starving and lack of hope.