Exodus

Arrival of  boats from faraway

headlines, newspaper stands selling

packet gum, candy bars, cigars. Ships

docked, hundreds of soldiers 

scouring for passengers, jumped

fishermen-to-be. Useless now 

in court, meaning

travel farther south requires tracks

concealed by mud, scratches to the hood

by rust and sewage. Gas tanks, tapped

air holes. Legislation rules out

the legality of workers

crawling among pipes, marking

faces for luck. Maps record no trace

from one border to the next

nail salon, restaurant, donut shop,

corner store. Any place can be a

refuge, like a sail hanging over

a line protects bodies from

sight. Only our shadows appear

clasped, in single file.