little girl in kathmandu − 1 November, 1995

when i was in kathmandu i stayed at the mustang guest house in thamel. every day i would walk down a narrow alley to the main street and see a group of homeless children. they where all very thin and malnourished in raggedy clothes but somehow they managed to have a smile on their faces. there was one child i remember in particular. she was a little girl around seven years old. the oversize tattered sweater she wore came down to her knees. when i looked down at her feet all she had on were flip-flops. her dark eyes were deeply set and piercing, i could sense that she was wise beyond her years.

at night as the temperature dropped in kathmandu, i would see the girl squatting on the street trying to keep warm. she lit a small candle and pulled her large sweater over it to try to capture the warmth from the tiny flame. she glowed and the flickering light from her candle illuminated her. i felt so sorry for this poor girl i wanted to take her home with me.

whenever i saw her i would buy her a sandwich at the deli that had imported cheeses and meat flown in from europe. she would look up at me with her big brown eyes and smiled. then quickly hid the sandwich underneath her baggy sweater.

often times i think of her and wonder if she's still alive.