Real Bread

By Lesa Caldarella-Wong

In 1994, I traveled to Africa on two separate occasions during one of the most tumultuous times in the history of that continent. My usual assignment was stateside in marketing and communications, working with volunteers and churches to raise funds and awareness for humanitarian causes. The purpose of my travel was to gain insight into the needs of the people we served, to visit projects currently sponsored by the organization, and to deliver supplies to children who had survived the massacre in Rwanda.

In that capacity, I was able to witness firsthand the impact and tragedy of poverty, war, famine, landmines, and the awful genocide in Rwanda, as well as rejoice in the election and inauguration of Nelson Mandela as South Africa's first black president. The genocide in Rwanda was unique as the most horrific systematic murder of people in a 100-day span as the world stood by, watching without action and turning a blind eye to the holocaust. I am humbled and grateful for the trans-formative and sobering lessons of that journey.

And although the poetry in this volume is not strictly autobiographical, it is inspired and informed by my experiences and, in some cases, directly reflective of my trip notes and journals. My experiences in Africa have shaped my world view over the last twenty years. I am forever mindful of mankind's responsibility to look beyond their own world and to live lives of compassion and awareness