Letter from Home

“Duplicating Forms” by Molly Phalan

It’s a letter from my mother –
the one who doesn’t believe in email.
I can’t complain.
Her handwriting is home.

There’s the usual news,
and the advice of course –
don’t be taken in
by all those slick-tongued Americans.

By “taken in”,
she means “taken out”.
Not to worry.
My little black book is a little brown one.
Immigrants attract other immigrants.

It is a burden on a mother
to be too far away
to approve or disapprove.

And it’s just my luck
that warnings do not travel well.

Juanita Rey is a Dominican poet who has been in this country five years. She has worked many jobs while studying to improve her English. She has been writing for a number of years but only recently has begun to take it seriously. She enjoys reading. Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Toni Morrison are particular favorites. Her work has been accepted by 2 River View, Harbinger Asylum, Pennsylvania English, Petrichor Machine and Madcap Poets.