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.
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.