Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE FOREIGNERS: 1, by CARLOS BULOSAN


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE FOREIGNERS: 1, by                    
First Line: Fear grips their lives
Last Line: Look and examine us!
Subject(s): Fear; Immigrants; Emigrant; Emigration; Immigration


FEAR

Fear grips their lives,
The lonely, the far and lost.

They group round like bats,
And their eyes are like marbles.

They burn themselves to ashes
With their own heat and fire.

THE UNKNOWN CITY

You cannot blame us. We followed the sun
And the rain with gladness and full of hope.
There were many other lands to go to,
But we were astounded by your horizons,
And we were glad we came and brought our names with us.
We came to share with the machinery of your greatness,
And we were unhappy to discover this:
Your people are miserable from the lack of mutual speech,
Their children are stereotyped;
And we cannot be like them --
We have brought our city's speech with us.

I am afraid I am not able to write down our language
So you can read our faces in the dark;
But I can act, though, and run down the streets
Peopled with men who know no compromise,
Till I stumble against you,
And I will rap at you and scratch you like a cat
To let you feel the strength of our city.

We can jump over the tall buildings like leaves,
But without words to reveal us,
And fall on your feet,
But without tears to deceive us --
We are invincible with death --
Look and examine us!





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