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Somerville poet Ed Meek sends us a couple of new poems. He has a new book of poetry coming out titled Great Pond.

Asylum

Ed Meek

It’s as easy as cutting a cord,
to separate the mothers and children—
the ones seeking asylum
from gangs and violence,
so desperate to flee
they’ll risk seizure
by the border patrol
and customs agents who need
at least two officials—
one who grabs the kids,
the other the mothers—
pinning their arms from behind,
to pry them apart
like oysters.
The agents must learn to ignore
the crying and screams.
They have a job to do,
commands to obey
that come all the way
from the top.

Really, it’s as simple as turning a lock,
as easy as pulling a trigger.

Wanted: A Few Good Men

You can always find a gang of guys
willing to patrol the border
to keep the aliens out.

There’s plenty of us rough and ready
to man the neighborhood watch,
roaming the streets with a gun on our hip.

And if you need a posse,
we’ll leave our drinks on the bar
and mount our steeds
to track the miscreants down
and if need be, hang them from a tree.

We’ll string up slaves who try to run
and negros suspected of flirting
with our women.

We always assume
the suspects armed and dangerous
and our shootings are always justified.

— Ed Meek