Parhamtown

poverty is ugly

no matter where it is

it’s well hidden here, in the vast beauty

of sky and water and green hills,

but it’s here –

in the steep, narrow roadways

in muddy streets where goats and chickens roam freely

in the midday air smelling faintly of

sweat and heat and rotting fruit

in busted up sidewalks awash in weeds

in buildings badly in need of a coat of paint

and abandoned boats decaying on their mooring balls

there are contrasts to be sure --

children in starched new school uniforms

women and girls with their elegant hair

braided and brightly be-ribboned

stretches of new pavement and concrete curbing

the occasional community park lovingly planted with

bougainvillea and swingsets and half-court hoops

but they only highlight the urgent need all around

lapping at the island’s doorsteps like an incoming tide

- tuesday, 11 november

ordinary time 2015
Parhamtown, Tortola, BVI