I stay on the path
the safe, the known
the beautiful
tree branches drape and droop
to cathedral the footprints
their interlaced fingers
catching all the rising words
sifting and sorting and recreating
Scrabble-game of prayer

A prostitute enslaved in the States
A 9 year old Ethiopian cut by her grandma
A toddler with club feet
A sex-slave of Cambodia
4 stories in 4 days
Replacing the numbers with names
And already I feel my grip slipping and loosing
Unable to hold their stories and honour
Their pain by remembering with them
Nicole, Nkatha, Prinscio and Sarah
Rehearse those names, Connie
Press repeat again
When complacency rises to engulf
And self-centredness screams like a kid in a high chair
Repeat the names
Remember their story which is their life
​Those four