Different Measurements

At first I felt extremely angry; frustrated with her ignorance.
How could her concept of poverty
mean earning forty five thousand dollars per year?

Eventually I just felt sad.
For myself, for her, for people with even less.

She has obviously never sat at school
in a dusty, sparse classroom in Africa
or anywhere for that matter,
with a five year old child who is crying uncontrollably
because they can no longer afford to pay their primary school fees.

She has obviously never been there
the following morning
when that five year old child’s seat is empty.

She has obviously never been the one
crying uncontrollably beside the empty seat.