Changing Sides Poem by Chen-ou Liu

a tanka prose for Syrian artist Abdalla Al Omari

I walk down Progress Avenue, passing a poster on the utility pole, its corners flipping in the winter wind. Printed on the left side, in red ink, are the giant words Breaking Point: One Is Too Many. On the right side is a long, snaking line of people in ragged clothes, staggering toward the border, arms and backs piled high with their belongings and sleeping mats.

drunken shadow
on the wall of ignorance...
Trump stands
in the worn-out shoes
of a Mexican migrant

Author's Note: Abdalla Al Omari is known for depicting world leaders as refugees in his "Vulnerability Series" of paintings.