Stepping Into traffic
eton blue chiffon blurs with hair as headlights
fills in each drape of hijab. the woman who ran
into traffic is now catatonic before the silver sedan
that's refused to execute an unknown.
outside the car, I hold her dirty hands gashed by
uncertain works and feel the terrible tremble rise
from her body and move through the fingers. I
cannot understand her words, but know the
language of human despair.
from the distance the squeal of an ambulance
rings like a bird, and all I can muster in a cold
midnight is to sit with her on the curb, my arms
around her, with our hands locked together.
By Richard Margolis
Richard Margolis is a third year M.F.A poetry student at C.S.U. Fresno. He received his B.A. in Creative Writing & Literature from C.S.U. Long Beach. Margolis has been published both in poetry and creative non-fiction. He is currently working on his first manuscript.
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