X (poem by Carlos A. Pittella) after Ae Hee Lee Every time they print an X all over my face not even pixelated but a fairly good face considering we’ve endured a 36+hour journey from some side of an ocean to some other side of an ocean that is if you can look beyond the X My love & our lovey are both Xless but because I’ve been Xed we three must move to a different line the bottom of it & wait with all those whose crowdface stuffed into a cloud has been pierced by a crossroads How should one cross the last steps from behind the yellow line to the officer’s plexiglass with that rectangle missing for a voice to carry hopefully? How to modulate a raspy accent to sound the least menacing possible? Does one go with joke or extra-formal deference all the way thru? Depending on whom you get the pickup line can drop all of you into an endless spool never to be fished out of sea the coast looking further & further away it’s my turn now Hello
The second poem in the #SpotlightSeries (curated by @robmclennan.bsky.social) is after @aeheelee.bsky.social's amazing "Conversation with Immigration Officer" 🔥(www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazi...)
To read my #SpotlightSeries poems & author statement: robmclennan.medium.com/spotlight-se...
