by Kristin Kowalski Ferragut
Let’s crawl out from between cracks
in Mrs. Malloy’s Social Studies class
look America square in the…
Trail of Tears, Chinese Exclusion, Compromise
of 1877, red carpet for the KKK in troops
withdrawal, 911, Homeland Security, ICE.
Military facing off with us — terror.
We love this country — swampy and lush; dry
and sharp; wide, wild, waking.
Echoes of past, Liberty or Death,
beg the question, Is the acrid smoke gulped
after hollers of Freedom now
easier than silence?
Don’t you want to fix her pockets, tuck
them in; pull her
Fortnite shirt down over
her exposed sand-colored belly; embrace
her and, while reaching behind,
let loose the cuffs, like you might untie
a ribbon to free your girl’s hair?
Kristin Kowalski Ferragut is author of the poetry collection Escape Velocity (Kelsay Books, 2021) and children's book Becoming the Enchantress (Loving Healing Press, 2021). Her poetry has appeared in Beltway Quarterly, Bourgeon, Fledgling Rag, Little Patuxent Review, and Gargoyle Magazine, among others.
