In Transit
By: Maria Mendoza
Maria Mendoza is currently an undergrad double majoring in English and in Gender & Sexuality Studies. Her writing mostly focuses on themes of immigration, gender, and identity. Her poem
“In Transit” touches on some of the dangers that many migrants face when crossing the desert as part of their journey for a better life.
The ants found their way to the tender flesh
below the footsteps of the forgotten.
The burned skin of their forearms shines at night
as they put their ears against the earth’s heartbeat
to mute the humming of the machinery above them.
Mothers silence the whimpers of their children,
not knowing that their tears feed the dry land.
Their hunger made them walk north,
to the promised land of exile,
with their one life packed on their backs.
Hoping to appease their guts,
they reach for the sharp fruit
alongside their path.
As they take a bite,
the spikes stay on their lips:
a subtle kiss from the desert
to always remember
their journey to their new home.