I Swallowed

by C.

 

I have to swallow the time they’re gonna try to give me and more
And if I don’t try to swallow they will force it down my throat.
I have to swallow my family seeing me in an orange jumpsuit.
I have to swallow my responsibilities at a young age.
No messing around, no horseplay.
I have to swallow staring at white walls hours on end.
If I have to swallow one more thing I think I’m going to double over and puke.

If dreams die
I’ll feel like the Titanic sinking in all my troubles.
The last thing people will see are air bubbles.

---

September 2017

The “I Swallowed” poem was based off of text-poems composed by Xu Lizhi (a Chinese migrant laborer) while he was locked up in a sweatshop.