Africa
I went half way around the world to witness
her tattered dress and her ragged nails,
to hold her worn hand in mine.
I inhaled her heat and
lost myself in her fierce gaze,
my safe solidarity withering in her light.
I long to place the sweet taste of hopefulness in her mouth
yet taste the salty tears of vulnerability in my own.
She is so far away and I
am so small.
5 comments:
Oh Rebecca~ this poem touches my heart. I have read it several times and each time I think a certain line is where it gets me...but then i read hte next and there it is again. You have such a way....
Rebecca - I heard a new Irish theologian speak today on video and he reminded us that "God is in the Wind"... As I reflect on your sharing here, I picture the wind carrying your love and concern for this little girl across the world to touch her face, some warm evening. Meanwhile, the winds of change continue to wisp and God speaks through you like a gentle breeze.
so lovely. it is amazing how we don't have to know a person's name and still they speak to us through the heart. i can see why she has not left you. thank you for sharing!
Nichol, Thank you for always holding my poems with tenderness. I am so grateful to be able to share it and begin to give voice to a tiny bit of how deeply this experience has effected me.
Beth and Lucy,
We are not really separated at all. Are we?
Love....
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