Hunger, Racism, and the Misfortune of Greed

This was so impressive, brutal, and thoughtful. Very deserving of first place on the leader board! Congratulations!

thank you for sharing this, Caitlin, and congrats on the top story spot. i really love the last stanza - such a vivid and important question to invite us to consider, reflect & (hopefully) recognise, deconstruct & dismantle any internalised racism / hate we might hold.

So well said Caitlin. Congrats on T/S

Congratulations - and you keep doubting yourself ????

Congratulations on your win!!🎉🎉🎉

Wooohooooo congratulations on your Leaderboard placement! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊

I know I am not writing on Vocal until I finish a bigger project . but I am so happy I chose to continue reading works form fellow creators. This is one of the most powerful, honest piece you wrote ( and their are many great ones from you). This one stands out because it challenges us to look inside our own selves. Are we practising what we preach, do our actions speak for themselves or are we softly mumbling our views in hopes that it is enough. Congratulations Caitlin

Back to congratulate you on the well-deserved top spot on the leaderboard.

Very powerful, Caitlin. "Selfsame" is going to be my new favorite word. We are indeed same as all humans, but unique in our selves. Diversity of our shapes and colors is beautiful. I feel sorry for the people who believe they are better than others based on some biological features.

Congratulations on Top Story 👏 🥳

Powerful poem …”we do not wrestle with flesh and blood…” came to my head while reading this.

My darling what a powerful piece, well written, you showed truth you showed rawnest with this piece, the heartache and the pain, Caitlin this piece needed to be done and you done it, you spoke with the power of your words. Vocal is the place where we write about elements like this. My beautiful soul your voice your Writing will help so many out there. Top story for January a 💯 💜

Well said. I hate all of it. Damn! It has never changed, just hid or molted into a new form. Congratulations!!

What a well-written, heartbreaking piece (in all the right ways!) 💜

This is so deep and thought provoking, Caitlin! I'm going to carry this with me into the next couple of days, for sure. You're an amazing writer.

I want to sit with this for a while. You are right that racism hurts us deep into our pores.

Another beautiful, thought provoking and relevant piece. I had never really experienced this before I spent some time on the Navajo reservation. Really opened my eyes Thanks for sharing your thoughts and insights. Congratulations on top story

Caitlin, there’s a quiet ache in this piece that’s almost unbearable, but it’s also a call for something better. The way you balance pain and beauty, love and hate,wow. It’s a necessary conversation, one we all need to sit with. Thank you for writing with such honesty.

Aside from the hurtfulness I've never understood racism Like I do. But don't. Basing hatred of someone or a large section of society on their skin colour is just maddening to me. Lol. Anyway that aside. This is one of your best perhaps, in terms of your vulnerability taking on the subject and in terms of your success in execution. I love how you strip away those big headline grabbing concepts to really what they are, insidious festering things that live under skin level and effect people like a cancer who then spread it Like what John said too that while section of the cycle of pain and fear and how it turns onwards. I could speak about this on and on and perhaps if we ever met in person I would. But I'll stop here so I don't end up sounding like an idiot Congrats on this getting a Top Story and lots of exposure. It's very deserved. John again succinctly got it right. Written from the heart and poetic but driven by that sharp intellectual or yours. Truly brilliant.

Whoaaaa, this was so deep, true, and thought provoking. Congratulations on your Top Story! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊 How are you doing, my sweet friend?

Tis a dream to be sure that one might scrub away the old to awaken the new. But hatred is a cancer passed from one generation to the next like a revolving door to madness. Pain begets pain and fear begets fear and hate is the terrible consequence of both. Tis a pity that so often when others hate us we hate ourselves in consequence. And that is the greatest tragedy of all.

STRONG PIECE

Powerful poetry, here, Caitlin! A bit of a tear-jerker for me because when my youngest daughter was little, she actually tried to wash her beautiful brown skin away. This poem will stay with me. Congratulations on your top story❣

Caitlin, those are some very deep thoughts. Makes me feel shallow because all I want to do is reach for my bath towel to dry off and stay warm. I'm going to have to keep thinking about your composition.

Oh, No!