OUR BORDER SEIVE

I've been squeezing this poem for a week. now it is time to get help from that AWESOME Friday team. All suggestions appreciated. Dewell



OUR BORDER SEIVE

nostrils full of sage and sand

sweat streaked bodies glistening

in the wan moonlight, we

move in silent waves





prodded to we-know-not-where

by hope and stories told by

dreamers and false guides.

Desparation guides our steps



to leaky borders made by man.



If in dreams I see myself

the butterfly, flitting unnoticed

from sage to cactus, what

man-made boundary prevails?



If I dream myself a drifting cloud;

a sage hen; roadrunner; early morning fog;

sirocco wind in the guard'd face;

might I slip by with impunity?



Is it only humans that are truly foreign?



---- Dewell H. Byrd

Dewell...it seems like you have too many ideas competing for space. I made additional comments below.

OUR BORDER SIEVE

nostrils full of sage and sand
sweat streaked bodies glistening (are these sweat-streaked bodies?)
in the wan moonlight, we
move in silent waves (are we in a boat? How do we sweat in the waves?)

prodded to we-know-not-where (this hyphenation takes much energy to process...maybe a single word to move the "plot" along?)
by hope and stories told by (two "by"s in one line)
dreamers and false guides.
Desperation guides our steps

to leaky borders made by man. (I wonder if this is the true first sentence of the poem? It is the first reference related to the title. The line breaks seem to draw attention too.)

If in dreams I see myself
the butterfly, flitting unnoticed
from sage to cactus, what
man-made boundary prevails?

If I dream myself a drifting cloud; (I like the first metaphor, two seems too much)
a sage hen; roadrunner; early morning fog;
sirocco wind in the guard'd face;
might I slip by with impunity?

Is it only humans that are truly foreign?



---- Dewell H. Byrd

tomorrow when I am brighter. : )

Maybe that will help you create what you want.

S 1 : sounds like you are describing illegal Mexicans weaving their way in groups at night

S 2: I'd drop all except the last line

S 3: leaky borders, therefore, the seive

S 4 and S 5: so much it's hard to hold onto. What if you chose one image and then used your impunity question?

S 6: last stanza: I don't think you need it.

People slipping over: that's all there is to the story. I'd not go to a big general question.