day EIGHT HUNDRED and EIGHTY TWO

America, America

I will protect you to the death

of a million Mexicans

bones bleaching in the desert.

Of 5 million Syrians

begging to be allowed to

live.

Of hundreds of Jews

packed in the hull of a stinking little boat

fleeing Germany.

America, America

the wretched refuse

washing up like garbage

on our shiny, inviolate shores.

I will build a wall to protect you,

another brick in our long history.

I guess you could call that love.

--Ethan Goffman

Ethan Goffman’s poems have appeared in BlazeVox, Mad Swirl, Madness Muse, Ramingo’s Blog, Under the Bleachers and Setu.as well as the anthologies The Music of the Aztecs, Epiphanies and Late Realizations of Love, and Narwhal’s Lament. He is co-founder of It Takes a Community, a Montgomery College initiative that brings poetry to both students and local residents. In addition, Ethan is founder and producer of the Poetry & Planet podcast on EarthTalk.org.