The Body Crossing Borders

By Israel Tucker


My feet scrape across the ground,
Crunching sand between my toes,
The bottoms of my shoes long worn away

My eyes water from the dirt kicked up
From thousands of feet shuffling

My heart pounding
Trying to beat from my chest,
Anticipation a hammer
Against my ribcage

My shoulders throb
From the weight of my backpack
That couldn’t hold my whole life
Inside

My hands grasp for touch,
A soft pillow
Or warm water
Or my daughter’s soft hair

My tongue betrays me,
Too dry to speak,
But our thoughts still reach
Our ears, even without our voices