The Encinitas Illegal Poem by Burt Poole

You see me waiting with
the others
Some are friends, some are
brothers.
Some I met along the way
who just like me
have no place to stay
My face is brown, my
eyes are too
My hair is black my
clothes are few
My language some can’t understand
I’ve come here from
another land
Where home was just
a cardboard shack
No future there to call
me back
Today I wait and hope
to see
Someone will stop
and call to me
Who’ll say, “I need a man to do
some work for just a day or two”
My heart will have a happy mood
with money I can
buy some food
And then perhaps I’ll
have enough
To help loved ones who
have it rough
Below the border who
like me
Have hopes and dreams
who want to see
The coming of a better day
anywhere within the
U.S.A.

(11/24/89)