Jackie Somebody From South Africa Poem by Diana van den Berg

At a baby clinic
in Gondola
in Moçambique
is an angel
who is not an angel
but a mere human
who shames me
when I despair
of the human race
and all of us
who say, “What can one person do against/for the whole world? ”

Without wondering where the next donation is coming from
this young, pretty, married missionary
who could have an infinitely different life,
devotes herself
to every single Moçambiquan baby
or Zimbabwean baby from across the nearby border
who needs her
despite
despair,
disease,
superstition,
poverty,
ignorance,
malnourished babies,
and sparse supplies far away.

Some come from far away
leaving their homes on foot
at midnight
to reach the clinic
at daybreak
knowing
she
is there
and will help
in whatever way she can
with knowledge,
expertise,
kindness,
grace
and authenticity,
no games,
just the real deal.

She does what she does
as she says,
not because of
a theory
or a notion
or a religion
but
because of
the reality of the love of God.
She doesn’t preach compassion;
she doesn’t write poems about it;
she
IS
it
and she
acts upon it.

Her story is told
but what about
those whose are
not?
There are many, many thousands
like her
that we only hear about
by chance.

How dare I
bemoan
the state of humanity
until I have walked
a fraction
of a mile
in her
or their
moccasins?

(23 February 2009)