Fish Lake

Alpacas atop sharp ridges
Directed by red figures
On two legs
Bowls strapped to their heads
With beaded bands

Like their houses
They are made of stone
Accustomed to the harshest
Circumstances
Seem beyond their control
Glaciers melt
And water vanishes
Other hemispheres
Culpable
They will never know
These shepherds
Who wrap their offerings
Carefully
For mountainous dieties
To provide potatoes
Keep safe the herd
On the roof of the world
They will persist?

They will persist
Products of extreme
Heights & weather
Resistant to oppressors
Stubbornly maintaining
Language & culture
While seeking contemporary purpose
Stemming from their roots
Weaving the fabric of old & new
Isolated on islands of altitude
They continue to weather
The storm