time

time.
still around us.
halted in some
distant memory
as we walked the mountain.

rocks
lining the path.
goats
running below.

sweat
caressing our bodies.
air stirring quietly.

the small hut stood
atop the mountain.
the rock path to reach it
steep and sharp.
the cooking house apart.
an infant child
sitting
naked
within
its confines.

the mother stood back
her daughter
hidden within the folds
of her skirt.
the feet bare.
the naked body
firm
but hunger
shining deep from the
eyes
that burned my heart
as the
swollen belly and
red tinged hair
spoke of malnutrition.

living atop the mountain.
no water.
scratching the crops
with bare hands
out of the dry land.

the family stood.
as for thousands of years
man has lived.

lost in time.

Sylvia D. Campbell, MD
May 1997