Featured Poem: Second Estrangement by Aracelis Girmay

This week, Mary has chosen to read Second Estrangement by Aracelis Girmay.

Second Estrangement

Please raise your hand,
whomever else of you
has been a child,
lost, in a market
or a mall, without
knowing it at first, following
a stranger, accidentally
thinking he is yours,
your family or parent, even
grabbing for his hands,
even calling the word
you said then for “Father,”
only to see the face
look strangely down, utterly
foreign, utterly not the one
who loves you, you
who are a bird suddenly
stunned by the glass partitions
of rooms.
How far
the world you knew, & tall,
& filled, finally, with strangers.

by Aracelis Girmay

If you missed last week's Featured Poem, you can find it here.