Dear America

Me in D.C. circa 1984.

Dear America,

I am your daughter and
I am angry.

Born in a barn and
raised by wolves,

I have eaten
the porridge

and the plums
and I am not sorry.

You told me that
I can’t go home again

but it was you
who sold me a bridge

that was not yours,
then set it on fire.

—Cati Porter

First published in Terrain.com July 12, 2022