April 24, 2009

wash us in the water

i want to dunk
the dirty little children in
water and soap them up
and give them new clothes
to wear and i want to wash
this skinny, rusted cat
until he turns the shiny white
i know he is beneath it
all – everyone and everything
lives and moves and has their
being beneath the curse
here, we see through the mirror
dimly and our clothes are filth
stained rags and we long for
polish or a new mirror and
an exchange of rags for robes
of righteousness.

lonely, lost street children throw
themselves on the mercy of my
lap, their dirty little heads buried
there, as if they know me,
as if i am not this complete
and total stranger, as if i am
their mother or sister or savior full
of mercy and grace. how these
children need the steady tenderness
of compassionate people – they
are despairing and causing me,
in turn, to despair.

“Then the angel showed me the river of
The Water of Life,
as clear as crystal,
flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb
down the middle of the great street of the city.

On each side of the river stood
The Tree of Life…
and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
No longer will there be any curse.” (Revelation 22:1-3)

land o’ the lame internet
My first week in Ethiopia, I went to use the computers at the guesthouse compound. They were gone – there the day before, gone the next.

I asked the administrator lady, “Where are the computers? I need to use the internet.”
“They’re not there?” Big eyes.
“No.”
“Oh. They must not be working.”
“Oh. OK.”

Then I traveled 30 minutes to a nearby school to use their computer lab. When I sat down, all hopeful at a pearly PC, the computer lab guy said, “Sorry, the internet is down in the whole country today.”

The internet is down in the whole country? I think, Is this a joke? If it is a joke, joke’s on me. No, Janay, it’s not a joke, it’s Africa. End of story. Get over it.