HIGH HOLY DAYS IN OUR TOWN




















HIGH HOLY DAYS IN OUR TOWN

Red cape against chain-link fence,
hooded black cowl underneath
extending with arms waving
to those boarding Swift Air,
men and women
ankle-chained, chains around waists
and hands, ICE agents
monitoring deportation
from our small city airport.

The red-caped woman wears clothing
suitable for solemn celebration
of high holy days of medieval Christendom.
Another woman at her side blows a whistle.
There is a man with a camera.
Count to three.
When the whistle blows, the deportees
look this way. The man with the camera
photographs each person,
and the woman clothed in vestments, waves.

These are solitaries, but they are not alone.

Jim Bodeen
3 October 2019

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