NaPoWriMo April 2022 (Day 20)

Click this pic for to open the prompt page and links to other poems.

At the two-thirds complete NaPoWriMo Wednesday, my assignment, should I choose to accept it, was to humanize (anthropomorphize) a food.

Ask any front-line (combat) Army or Marine Corps Viet Nam War veteran about C-rations, especially about this one.


Voldemort Chow

It is not an acquired taste
c-rats (thankfully) are nevermore.

But he who must not be named,
you-know-who—of Hogwarts,
the Dark Lord of chow, bitter
Lord Voldemort of field rations
universally despised for bad taste.

In the boonies, in another world:
The Nam! What was in that can?
Bad luck shall befall if you say it—
Ham and Lima Beans, say it
like a soldier: ham and motherfuckers
hated by virtually everyone,
thrown back like VC returning fire
by starving children: numba ten, GI!

International agreement at last.
The most disgusting (real) food ever.
(You gunna eat that?)


Look both ways and tell it like it was.
Mind the gaps when everything sucks.

A video of this food, if you are curious.

4 thoughts on “NaPoWriMo April 2022 (Day 20)

  1. Lord have mercy! I was watching the video – got up to the cheese. What did he expect from 50-year old rations?
    I have to admit that I cannot imagine this being edible when it was, errrr… fresh…
    Excellent job on this prompt!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks, Dale.
      Most of the c-rations were pretty old, but no one seemed to care. Often times, it was all they had, if they had that. They found ways to make things more palatable. It was kind of game and the old guys taught the new guys. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

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