Abhor-der

(Sonnet on new legislation to construct a wall along the Mexico border)

Forgetting how in 1846,
The U.S. stole from Mexico the land
It now claims as its own, Bush hopes to fix
The spoils of "Indian Wars" by dread command,
Forgetting, too, that the earth is the Lord's
And everything in it, orders a wall,
A barrier to keep out dark-skinned hordes
And monumental blasphemy install.
The biting irony (in this expensive gift
To no-bid contractors) is that they make
A prison, not a fortress, with this rift
Of 700 miles (give-or-take):
When trails of tears reverse the former flow,
To block Americans fleeing to Mexico!

Oct. 26, 2006