Africa unplugged

Four children under ten.
Three tin cups.
One rustling bag of logoed food aid rice.

Two empty spaces where parents lay dying.
Two and a half pairs of shoes.
An hour to water, a day's trek to town.

This is Africa unplugged,
Remote just a word meaning distant,
But this place has crossed beyond
Reason to care.

In string theory, next bead over, different chance.
Solar panel lantern
Crankshaft radio
The am band may crackle but it plays.  
Digging ponds learned from Peace Corps
Storing seed crops.
Wait for rain.