Arrival

 

      By throat is how we arrived

      A cradle in voice

      A passion & command

 
      By hands is how we arrived

      A touch

      Skin rising, cringing,

      Churning of a bullet

 
      By force is how we arrived

      Scrapes & bruises

      blood dripping & empty

 
      By train is how we arrived

      With prayer in our veins

      With thirst & bloody lips

      Trembling

 
      By knife is how we arrived

      A rip & tear

      A cut & puncture

      A sliced womb

 
      By love is how we arrived

      A fragrance & warmth

      An acceptance, by chance

      By death is how we arrived

      A scalpel & trash bin

      A plastic blanket lullaby

      A rope

 
      By miracle is how we arrived

      A quiet river

      A safe crossing

      A push

Edward Vidaurre is an award-winning poet and author of eight collections of poetry, including Cry, Howl (2021). His writings have appeared in the New York Times, the Texas Observer, and the Los Angeles Review of Books, as well as other journals and anthologies.
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