refuge
one of the more revolting things i’ve been seeing in these revolting times is the continuing demonisation of refugees, attempting to cross the english channel from french camps, to get to britain. the far-right (and i include our home secretary, the egregious priti patel in this) has behaved atrociously in this country which i am, day by day loving less and less as this little collection of islands drifts closer and closer towards something unspeakable.
from the paris review
the refugee considers the faucet
by philip metres
after pamela argentieri’s “continued persistence”
o arm that spurts flowers,
branch giving birth to water.
o tree that bows down
and stays there, hovering
between sky and ground.
you anchor us to now.
we have walked so long
our home has narrowed
to the width of our shoes
and what we can carry.
and yet you, still animal,
hollow metal
conducting an internal
convo with movement,
you are endurance
in the still moment
of beginning, you are
anticipatory beauty,
o instantaneous river,
compressed creek,
o brass wellspring,
invisible lake, o slake,
oasis in a tube, taproot,
song of the mute, i bow
to you, and hold my hands
like a shallow bowl
beneath your mouth.