by Caris Allen
to be american is to be uprooted
pulled from the soil of your ancestors
and planted in this strange laboratory
where the scientists tear off your leaves
like language from your tongue
like history from your heart
shave you into the proper shape
standardize, assimilate, shove
you into matching terracotta pots
line up your desecrated bodies
and try to call it a garden
Caris Allen’s work has previously appeared on screen at Austin Film Festival, and in print in The North Texas Review. She currently lives in Denton, Texas where she is a student at The University of North Texas pursuing a BA in English with a minor in Theatre.