This is a poem representing experiences of those living on the Mexico border and their daily existence, where a continued strain seeps into lives, relationships and routines. This poem was inspired by Sasha Pimentel’s work in the book “For Want of Water”.

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Tea stains blurred at borders

I again bring you a hot cup today

My eyes misting over like the notes

Unfolding from the tea caddy I hold

our hands clasp, skin stays tenacious

tenacious silences punctuate our songs

songs of my strained tea dusts

dusts of uncertainty, emerge

emerge from pekoe leaf reads

reads of scarce choices in stories

stories infused with possibilities

possibilities of diverse flavors

flavors of nuttiness, a world decaying

decaying into a fermented destiny

destiny brewed into a kind steep

steep that yields, a likeness to home

a home like cookie that crumbles

crumbles in oblong shapes that drip

drip between curled toes, teasing

teasing with wonder of witty whistles

whistles of cloud spewing kettles

kettles revealing uncertain aroma

aroma drizzling a cure to maladies

maladies of a world misinterpreted

misinterpreted in narrow empty spaces

spaces yearning an infusion of ginger honey

honey thaws steel like an absolute embrace

embrace that nudges days into nights

nights tucked in yet potently awake

awake with scars, and painful bruises

bruises that morph into doubtful dreams

dreams in tunnels of punctuated evenings

evenings of uncompromising silence

silences of a simmering racial ennui

ennui that puts men and women asleep

asleep to permissions, strange to another

another transitory night vacillating between

between here and there, blurred tea stains

tea stains erasing themselves between borders

borders traversed with a cup held in my palms

By Kashiana Singh

From: United States

Twitter: Kashianasingh

Facebook URL: https://www.facebook.com/authorkashianasingh/