Afghan War Poems: Nomads in the Desert

Ray McGinnis

In the heart of the desert I

take my walking slow, set a pace

as lungs endure dryness, dust, wind.

This is what God has given me

to do today. I surrender

to the vastness of His mercy,

the vastness of this desert,

the vastness of this journey.

I who am small must follow those

who lead, those who understand

the heart of the desert

- how it will be good to you

if you respect it, how it will

let you cross it safely with

each camel, each donkey,

holding forth in this fragile parade.

Artist’s Statement: A friend of mine living in Canada, Maureen Mayhew, has worked with Doctors Without Borders on a series of placements since the outbreak of the Afghan War. I am one of a number of poets who have gathered with her to look at photos of pictures she has taken of life in Afghanistan as she has visited the homes of people who have come to the medical clinics where she has served. These poems were inspired by the sessions of writing that emerged from contemplation of a series of poems one summer afternoon. The photos shown with these poems and the poems themselves are part of a larger work in progress being contemplated as part of a traveling exhibit related to the work of Doctors Without Borders. Maureen Mayhew holds copyright for these photos.

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