she was barely four
sick and dying
in desperate need
of food and medicine

he was also sick
and weak from hunger
but desperate
to save his daughter

he remembers:
walking ten kilometers
barefoot through flood waters
with her cradled in his arms
to reach the “medical center”

staying ten days
just watching her dwindle away
for lack of proper treatment

retracing the ten kilometers
again with her cradled in his arms
but a little higher, a little tighter
to bring her back to her family
for just a little longer