Human Spirit
Today we are a witness to the spirit of human kind
we watch it rise and burst forth at least thirty three times
From a pit, into the Fenix, began a journey a half mile long
To the surface, to their family, to the beginning of their new song.
We all are
Chilean for the day
The men to our amazement are fit and full of vigor
As if something mysterious has shot them out
with a life-sustaining trigger
Some shout, some chant, some kneel to pray
In their own unique sort of way
And we find that we just can’t help but be
Chilean for the day
Their eyes are shielded from their first
exposure to the sun
Their lives on hold, but now rebirthed, are far from being done
Their paths are changed, but so are ours
We watch, we hope, we pray
And we find that we just can't help but be
Chilean for the day
Editor's note: Florence Mayberry is a mountain scholar currently living in Hendersonville, North Carolina. She is the mother of POOR Magazine co-editor Tony Robles. Afro Celtic dreamer whose poems flow from the mountains, quenching the roots and travelling across the maps lashed onto the backs of the poor who came across the Atlantic. Her stories honor those who came before us.