Into the test!
my mother described her mother as never still,
even when seated her hands would busy themselves
stringing beans, sewing, whatever,
for each day required much of her,
our granddaughter in her first weeks in Kathmandu, Nepal,
feels challenged to reveal how strong in body and spirit she is,
it takes work to tend a garden, to process the corn,
to milk a cow, to muck the stalls,
to be as strong as her host family needs, and the needs demand,
to be as open as she can be,
both spirit and body tested
to learn different ways to think, to act, to be,
while still being true to herself,
the chores don't make her,
but they allow her mettle to reveal itself,
her dynamic relationship with the language
is coming together, conversations beginning to work,
thoughts finding other words to express themselves,
and she's even finding how to express her humor,
sharing a pun in Nepali with her teacher this week!
by Henry Walker
8/31/25
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