The day the DREAM Act failed – no graduation caps went up into the air – a caravan – we packed
the senate chamber – but we couldn’t talk – we were shut up – from the Bronx – I met a girl – who
lives two degrees of separation from Prince Royce – this friend cursed out Jeff Sessions –
outdoors – a small man under a small umbrella – we kicked the snow – said let’s go home – under
our caps – those migrant roofs below the clouds
Yessica Martinez is a poet from Queens, New York. Originally from Medellin, Colombia, she identifies as an illegalized person who currently holds Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status. A recipient of the Amy Clampitt Residency, her poems have been published in Los Angeles Review, Another Chicago Magazine, Interim and "Here to Stay: Poetry and Prose from the Undocumented Diaspora." You can follow her @yessi_poet or read her work at yessicamartinez.org