Reflections

I haven't written any poetry in a long time, so bear with me, but I wanted to share this. I wrote it after India.

"Hold on to your purse"-3/11/09

Hold on to your purse, they said.
And so I held on tight
Afraid they’d take away from me
The things I owned outright.

Don’t wear your fancy clothes.
Or your nicest jewelry
And so I dressed in cotton
To keep the beggars far from me.

Keep your eyes averted.
So I looked down at the floor
And I didn’t see the children
Who desperately needed more.

Don’t befriend the locals.
They all want something from you
And so I just stayed silent
What else was there to do?

Then I left this place
And I took my souvenirs
A silken scarf, a tapestry
The same things as my peers.

My purse was never pilfered
My jewels remained at home
My eyes saw only beauty
And I said nothing,

I stood alone.

So I left with what I came
Each item, big and small.

But if I must hold my purse so tight
Why even go out at all?