BLURRED BORDERS
by Emma Lee
McAllen Refugee Camp, Texas, 2019
He grows wings.
They make a safe bubble,
a small den aside
from the bigger children.
He feels dizzy,
shaky, caked in grime,
but no longer hungry.
His body doesn't seem like his.
His wings
create a downy bed
on the concrete floor.
It's too noisy to sleep.
He looks up.
His parents are gone
and the guards speak
a strange language.
His wings
are white feathers. He wraps
them around himself and waits
to become light enough to fly.
He grows wings.
They make a safe bubble,
a small den aside
from the bigger children.
He feels dizzy,
shaky, caked in grime,
but no longer hungry.
His body doesn't seem like his.
His wings
create a downy bed
on the concrete floor.
It's too noisy to sleep.
He looks up.
His parents are gone
and the guards speak
a strange language.
His wings
are white feathers. He wraps
them around himself and waits
to become light enough to fly.
Emma Lee’s publications include “The Significance of a Dress” (Arachne, 2020) and "Ghosts in the Desert" (IDP, 2015). She co-edited “Over Land, Over Sea,” (Five Leaves, 2015), is the Poetry Reviews Editor for The Blue Nib, and reviews for magazines and blogs at http://emmalee1.wordpress.com.