Written in duplex form for Merril’s “Meeting the Bar” challenge at dVerse poets…
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i don’t recognize my country anymore
my grandparents were immigrants here
now immigrants are grandchildren, here alone
desperately sent for a better life
cannot find better life undocumented
how wrong is it to build wall with gates?
gates in wall might deter child slave traffickers
criminals don’t like standing in line
give water bottles to those standing in line
fewer will die crossing hot desert
coyotes abandon weak crossing dry desert
we must fix immigration issues
why won’t congress fix immigration issues?
they don’t recognize country’s borders
a poem in my pocket 
Aug 04, 2023 @ 03:23:39
I like the way you rewrote Trump’s slogan, Lynn, and reminded us that America was built by immigrants, who wanted to make a better life for themselves and their descendants. Your duplex emphasises the terrible injustices against people trying to do the same thing.
Aug 04, 2023 @ 09:13:04
It is heartbreaking and we must find real solutions!
Aug 04, 2023 @ 02:09:05
There were always quotas by nationality/religion, even at a time when business was booming and labour was needed. People in all countries want to protect something they think they have that’s special, but when you ask what they think that is, often they can’t say.
Aug 04, 2023 @ 09:18:08
There must be an orderly way to immigrate. Nations have borders as neighbors have property lines. Life with boundaries gives stability and security for peaceful coexistence.
Aug 04, 2023 @ 09:48:25
There is, and it involves selection as it has always done. We let in the people who are useful and the people with plenty of money. I’m not sure that borders work for peaceful coexistence. The poor and the desperate will try to cross them whatever the risks. We have boat loads of migrants crossing the Mediterranean daily and it’s causing terrible tensions. Not just in Europe either. Tunisia has been condemned for ill-treatment of sub-Saharan Africans. It’s a huge problem. And with more and more climate refugees, it’s going to get infinitely worse.
Aug 03, 2023 @ 23:08:41
A very sad issue Lynn.
Thanks for droppibg by my blog.
Much💖love
Aug 03, 2023 @ 21:09:39
A very sad and disturbing issue to deal with for sure. Very little in Washington gets done that does not benefit or line the pockets of those who are supposed to be representing us!
Aug 04, 2023 @ 09:20:45
I agree, Dwight…thanks for your comments.
Aug 04, 2023 @ 18:46:20
You are welcome!
Aug 03, 2023 @ 20:40:17
Until we can pull ourselves out of our “us vs. them” mentality, these practices will continue. I believe fear is at the base of it, but the fear is also based on ignorance. Education of the facts can lead to better voting and more human-hearted and less money-grubbing politicians.
Aug 04, 2023 @ 09:26:36
We must face facts that not everyone can be trusted (i.e. traffickers, criminals, terrorists) so immigrants need to be screened and documented. Politics also need to be less partisan (“them v. us”) and more for the good of all the people! I appreciate your comments, Lisa.
Aug 04, 2023 @ 14:27:07
Agreed on all of what you say here, but the screening needs to be humanitarian. For example a parent stealing bread because their family is starving should not be screened out because of a criminal history. Good luck on the polar partisan situation neutralizing any time soon.
Aug 01, 2023 @ 04:36:32
WOW, Lynn. Nobody with a heart and mind could possible disagree with these sentiments. So poignantly written.
Much love,
David
Aug 01, 2023 @ 17:48:04
Thank you so much, David!
Jul 31, 2023 @ 19:38:45
True words, Lynn.
Jul 30, 2023 @ 19:01:32
Thank you for writing to the prompt, even though your link didn’t work. Sorry!
Immigration is such a complex issue, and certain groups are fixated on walls. But of course, there is a long US history of laws excluding immigrants–Asians, Eastern Europeans, the ship the St. Louis with Jewish immigrants turned away in 1939.
Aug 01, 2023 @ 17:50:18
We need more than walls, of course! Thanks for commenting, Merril.
Jul 30, 2023 @ 11:37:43
Blunt truths, Lynn. That congress keeps turning a blind eye to the victims of illegal immigration is unconscionable.
Aug 01, 2023 @ 17:51:24
I agree, Dora. Something’s gotta change!
Jul 30, 2023 @ 11:16:53
How to fix the problem of undocumented migration is a huge issue here in Texas. Here in Austin roofs would go unrepaired, lawns would be knee high, and all sorts of construction would almost halt without immigrants. Jesus’ words ring in my mental ears, “And who was the neighbor …?”
Aug 01, 2023 @ 17:52:20
Yes, we need workers and good neighbors!