You must have so much to say

by Noorulanne Jan

You must have so much to say

You speak Cubulco Achi, but the Asylum Officer gave you a Spanish interpreter. How do you say no in a language you don’t know?

Does Due Process really mean anything when you can’t process what you’re due?

Skilled labor worker, but what does this country owe to you?

Escapism, dissociation, disdain for bright fluorescent lights

Unchecked Power as a byproduct of Imperialism; here, there, and everywhere

You move slowly, can you sleep? Your hands sit idly, but they fidget from the boredom, are you a craftsman? An artist?

Your son says something amusing, in Cubulco Achi- a language my brown doesn’t speak

You smile and I see a lifetime in the crinkled corners of your eyes

I see your protruding collarbones as hangers, for the oversized generic detention center jumpsuits you and your son are made to wear

You must have so much to say

But here you are given no way to say it.

Image taken from Washington Post article describing the Karnes Family Residential Center (Drew Anthony Smith/Getty Images)

Noorulanne Jan is a law student at the University of Texas School of Law. Each year, she attends a pro bono trip to the southern border of Texas to provide legal assistance for immigrants who are detained by ICE and Border Patrol.