The Border is an Invisible
Line that runs over my Body²
The greatest Punishment for a
Tree – is to become a Border Post³
Yonder whispers the lure of the night –
But that Damned Fence Assails our sight⁴
Barriers Drain strength from our Arms and Hearts⁵
The Boundaries of my Nation lie Within myself⁶
The Menace to our Lives doesn’t lie on the
Other Side – it lies Within our Boundaries⁷
O Wicked Wall, through whom I see No
Bliss, Cursed be thy Stones – O Wall,
Full often hast thou heard my Moans⁸
Wall – it is no Higher than my Heart⁹
Wall beyond Wall – wavering
Redefinition of Horizon¹⁰
¹ Homer tr. Samuel Butler, The Odyssey
² Christopher Rubio-Goldsmith, Growing Up a Halfie
³ Yevgeny Yevtushenko tr. Bouis & Todd, On Borders
⁴ Anonymous, That Damned Fence
⁵ Laura Hershey, Flights
⁶ Audre Lorde, Bicentennial Poem #21,000,000
⁷ Dalton Trumbo, Johnny Got His Gun
⁸ William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
⁹ Ursula K. Le Guin, The Other Wind
¹⁰ Denise Levertov, Into the Interior