ICE is the right name
for those whose cold hands snatch
children from their mother,
who deny the suffocating
air, who eat their lunch
in front of the starving.
Don’t speak of laws.
Immorality is not justified
by obedience.
This is not the first time
the wicked have ruled.
Greed driven and cruel,
we return always
to where we have been before.
Nothing moves us forward.
We must face the truth
about ourselves. Listen,
you will hear it spoken
in the constant cries
of the children gathering
at the borders.
Jim Gustafson holds an M. Div. from Garrett Theological Seminary at Northwestern University in his hometown of Evanston, Illinois and an MFA from the University of Tampa. He is the author of Take Fun Seriously (Limitless Press, 2008), Driving Home (Aldrich Press, 2013), Unassisted Living (Big Table Publishing, 2017), and soon-to-be-released Friar Fred’s Diary (Big Table Publishing, 2018). He teaches at Florida Gulf Coast University. Jim and his wife Connie live in Fort Myers, Florida where he reads, writes, and pulls weeds.