The Basket

She walks along dusty roads carrying the fruits of her labor

Baskets with splotches of color woven painstakingly by fingers 

Rough, worn and sometimes bleeding into the red of the design

That wraps around the masterpiece she has created

The tinkling of the bells worn by goats and cattle mingle 

With the dust that rises from her every step to market

Sweat pours from her brow as she contemplates the food

She would purchase for her children if someone buys her humble work

The basket sits upon a shelf in a market and calls to me as I pass by

It tells me of its maker and how fortunate I am 

I take it down and admire the workmanship of sweat and blood

And take it home alongside the food I have purchased

It speaks to me of its maker as I use it in my daily chores

And makes me wonder of the artist whose unsung praises 

Vanish in the dust of an unpaved road while I hold out my hand

To a sister far, far away.

Published by Crystal Diane Arbogast

Writer, Author

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