YOUR TURN IS – B297
At the end of the room,
a white wall holds
a portrait of the president,
wearing a
Smile while I check my documents again:
Evidence of employment
I-20 form
F-1 Visa
Valid passport
Mi madre told me to look
and act confident:
Show them tu valor,
mijo.
Three years have gone by,
four more secured.
My fingers slip through papers and folders;
I want to belong here,
I want to be one of them.
The Government Officer does not speak;
I get back my papers
assured by a number
that I’m part of the system. Now
I walk out of the building like a baby
out of a hospital:
Reborn and worthy.