“Abraham Morales Hernandez” by Christopher Bogart, published in 14: Antologia del Sonoran, released in October 2018 by The Poetry Box.
Abraham Morales Hernandez
(N. 32.21.85/W. 113.18.94)
I had dressed for a race, not a marathon.
My black sweatpants were cooking me alive.
As we trod toward El Norte,
We eyed each other, wondering
Who would be the next one to fall.
Exhausted, I tripped and hit the dirt hard.
I crawled the dry ground rolling onto my side.
I kicked till I was under a bush.
The cries of the others
Faded in. Faded out.
Out was the last I remembered.
They spotted my tennis shoes,
Two small white will-o’-the-whisps
Peeking out from under the shrubs.
I took the long truck ride
As a man with no name.
I lie in a drawer,
As I had in the desert,
Waiting for someone to find me.
Desconocido.
Unknown.
Leave a Reply