Refugees

I have a ticket

And the line’s not moving

The line’s not moving

And the television

Calls me

A refugee

Kayley has to pee

Kayley has to pee

And she has to wait

Because we can’t leave the line

Because we’ve been in the line for hours

And if we get out of the line

We’ll start back at the end

And it’ll be hours and hours more

And Kayley has to pee

But she has to sleep

She has to sleep soon

Because she’s already been up

For two days straight

She can barely stand

So I ask her to wait

And she’s too tired

To whine about it

And that’s when I really wonder

Whether or not

We’re getting out of here alive

And on the tv

They call us

Refugees

Someone coughs

And someone complains

The red light

Above the door

That’s miles and miles away

Goes on and off

And it means nothing

But we jump every time

The red light

Does anything

Kayley sits on the floor

She can’t sit on the floor

We’ll get yelled at

If she sits on the floor

But she’s tired

She hasn’t slept

She has to pee

And she’s only four

She’s only four-years-old

And her bedroom

And her toys

And everything she loves

Is under eight feet of water

In what used to be Florida

Her father left two days

Before the water rose

Saying he’d be back for us

And he never came back

And now Kayley doesn’t even ask about him

She just asks when we get to eat

And when a kid is wondering

When they’re gonna eat
And doesn't seem to care
Where their father is

You know

You know you’re in trouble

And pretty soon she’s just going to fall down

Right there on the ground

Wet herself

And the ground

And we’ll get brought to

Wherever they bring children and parents to

When the parents can’t control their kids

And I don’t know what happens then
And I don’t want to know

So I make Kayley stand up

And I yell at her

I yell at her to stand up

And she cries a little

But then she stops

Because she’s too tired

She’s too damn tired to cry

But I’m not

So I cry

I cry

And the t.v. says

We’re refugees

The line moves

And moves

And moves

And we’re nowhere near

The door

Or the light

Or the next step

To the next step

To a shared motel room

With a single bed

Or a cot in a shelter

Or a sleeping bag

In the basement of a church

We’re years away from safety

Or security

Stability

Comfort

Or a bedroom with toys in it

That a little girl

Can play with

We may never be people again

The television flickers
Flares out, burns out

But the sound still plays

And all it says

Is to watch out for us

The emptied out

And upside down

The confused

And the cornered

The displaced

And the disgraced

Watch out for them, it says

This disembodied voice

That comes out
From behind the static

Of the nine-by-twelve

The red light goes off

Watch out for them

The door slams shut

They’re dangerous

Watch out

Watch out

Watch out

And you have to listen, don’t you?

You’d be a fool not to listen

To the t.v.

When it tells you

The little girl

Who can barely stand up

And her mom

With a PhD
Are dangerous

You'd be crazy to believe
Otherwise

It's only sane to think that
Those you used to called neighbors

Are now

Refugees