Channel Esther: South Africa Chronicle #10

by Esther Cohen

MISJUDGING

First night in our game lodge
we sat in a forced semi-circle
around a fire with guide Carl
awkward man, maybe
happiest in his jeep,
Family of five
small town Americans
talked too loudly
too cheerfully
about why Walmart
is good for the Akron
economy. I did not
say anything, though
I wanted to.

The next morning we met
at 6 AM for coffee before
we went off in the jeep.
Family of five
were leaving for home.
My son won his Make a Wish
dream the mother said.
He has cancer and his whole
sixth grade class
wrote letters about why
he deserved to go to Africa.
So he won and we did too.
We’d never been
on a plane before.
None of us.
We got
to be here now.