Surrounded by friends I close m

They threw a rock at me to catch my eye.
Then I saw them, huddled on a hot day
Under a mesquite tree in my field.

One approached, young, dirty, asking fearfully for water.
Then another, then several, barefoot.
The woman holding the child did not come.
They wanted food, water, money, and the road to Tucson.

My mind said: we cannot shelter the whole world. My heart cried: help them.

At sunset they still sat, a clump of misery.
I had no appetite at dinner.

(editor's note: This poem won second place in "poet's choice catagory of the 19th annual Arizona State Poerty Society contest)
© Roland Bibolet (Nogalas, Arizona)