incandescent with skeevies (ekphrasis)

i fit flatly thru thee wall

warp thru the weft
wed with the grain
watch the disappear(er)
nearer to bone than blood

i fit flatly thru thee wall

fall into this encasement
incandescent with skeevies
sockets of the eyes
im defective
im deflective
listen as i fade out
to hiss

What I’m Reading:

Immigrants showing up for court dates in Manhattan must now navigate past rows of masked federal agents … Since the spring, at the federal courthouses in downtown Manhattan, hundreds of officers from ICE and other government agencies have lined the hallways and lobbies, waiting to detain some migrants as they leave their immigration hearings. Many of the agents are masked and armed, and they are dressed in tactical gear, even though all visitors to the buildings must pass through airport-­level security.

Dozens of observers, migrant advocates, and members of the press show up each day to witness the arrests, which often take place with little regard for due process. It might not even matter how a judge rules in someone’s case. Migrants seem to be in shock as agents approach; family members might scream or sob as their loved one is taken away.

… A growing number of migrants are now skipping their court dates altogether—and setting themselves up for deportation—because they would rather go into hiding than face the danger and humiliation that Federal Plaza may bring. One can only imagine that this, too, is part of the point.

— Jordan Salama / “ICE’s Spectacle of Intimidation” / The New Yorker Daily