Her speech is flawless, though broken
occasionally with tears. The camera
doesn't capture everything,
but you can see behind the podium
she's in a well-pressed school uniform.
White blouse under navy blazer. Perhaps
she's wearing a pleated skirt in the same
color; black shoes, white ankle socks.
Before she describes the moment
of her father's abduction by ICE agents,
she tells the people gathered in the hall
how her father coached her at every race
she ran, cheered from the sidelines,
told her not to give up. Here you can enter
the information that he was getting better
at learning English; he was looking forward
to a better job. His so-called crime?
Not being born in this country, and only
having a green card. Here you can enter
information on ethnicity or provenance.
The daughter says, When I grow up
I want to be a lawyer. I won't
give up fighting for him.
I have other races to run.
Purveyors of fine poetry since 2003.
