there she stood

on top of a rubbish heap,

her neighborhood

the city dump

where she lived

in hut formed

of branches and canvas

that blew in wind

and foraged

in what other people

left behind

for sustenance

 

clutching her babe

to her breast

hollow eyed

hair unkempt

trying yet to stand

tall with pride

 

our eyes met

and my heart

breaks now

just as much

as when i was twenty

and saw for the first time

some of the ways

that other humans

must survive

in places many eyes

will never see

 

            –and this still should never be

 

heather pound 2024

Photo by Ravi Sharma on Unsplash