16 August 1999
Sam Patterson

being in America
being in Amer- up and-ca
down
in a flat spin
through a hole in the fence
they just sunk to the bottom
of the canal
and vanished
the mission was redefined
from rescue to recovery

up and down
like headlights on the hills
or divers in a storm
this is where we are
the border between the water
and everything else
lines scratched into the desert
with steel poles

Q: Where are you from?
A: Home.
Q: Of what country are you a citizen?
A: Up and down.