THE CASBAH
We round a corner,
and look down a web of dark alleys.
On either side old stone buildings stand
as they have for centuries.
Nothing has changed.
We are well-fed tourists
looking for the exotic.
We snap our pictures
of the dirty cobblestones,
and the dirty houses,
and the dirty children.
Our guide says,
“ Don’t touch the children.
they have lice.”
We move on.
We have not touched the children,
and they have not touched us.
