Mongolian Woman in a Box
In 1913, a Mongolian woman
was condemned to death for adultery
She was confined in a wooden crate
and left in a remote location to die
in agony from starvation and exposure
To prolong her torture and suffering
a small hole was carved for her head
to stick partially out allowing her
to beg for food or for water from
a bowl on the ground next to the crate
The bowl of water was not refilled
The photographer, Stéphane Passet, was on
an “Archives of the Planet” expedition
bankrolled by a philanthropist and came upon
the Mongolian woman in a box
He did not free her taking photos instead
presumably in empathy and as historical documentation
What was her name, her favorite color, did she have children,
how old was she, did she have a soul, and did her soul escape
when her body died, was the wooden crate burned with her body
still inside, or was her body taken out?
History leaves the photograph
The Mongolian woman still trapped to death inside
The Red Grocery Cart
after WCW
so much relies
upon
a red grocery
cart
weathered w/ dirt
and scratches
beside a homeless
person
