Difficult Beauty

This is a poem that I was moved to write about my experience in Uganda.

Difficult Beauty
by Leor Rotchild

Amidst the mud and mystery;
Behind the horror of history;
Lies a beauty hidden from the naked eye.

Where people laugh and smile;
And talk for a long while;
The equatorial sun sets high in the sky.

The fruit tastes as sweet as sex;
And the tea really is the best;
In a land without electricity or time.

Music is nowhere, and everywhere;
The children dance, jump and shake without care;
As though entranced by an X Box video game high.

Sharing a world with I Pods and space shuttles;
Shit-infested ponds here get reduced to mere puddles;
While malnourished kids stretch to collect their family’s share.

Water. It streams infinitely from our taps;
But on this area of the map;
Every drop spells the difference between survival and despair.

So what do you do;
When the situation overwhelms you;
When you feel crippled and losing hope?

Keep doing your part;
Carry the songs in your heart;
And represent well no matter where you go.

I never thought I would say it but I actually miss Ugandan food. From clockwise, you've got Matokee, made from banana plantain and the main staple of the Ugandan diet; Millet, made from the plant of the same name; Goat Meat, which is your best chance of getting any protein in your diet, unfortunately though, because it's boiled, the meat is very tough and it's hard to bite through or chew the fat; the white stuff is Posho, which is made from maize or corn, this stuff wasn't bad but very starchy; lastly there is the Animal Fat Stew, exactly as it sounds.