Answer

to the most frequently asked question after a vacation, "Was it fun?"
"I don't know"

Good Memories:

-----Watching the Rockets beat the Hornets

-----Staying up late to read and write

-----Finding art at the French Market

-----the inspiration

Somewhat overshadowing those moments

-----eventually taking a streetcar to get around, so I won't be asked for money

-----realizing the city has not finished decaying

-----hating tourism even more

-----leaving without a strong sense of 'nolins identity

The answer isn't simple this time, but I think a better question is "Was the trip worthwhile"
I can say yes to that.

I was able to write about 10 rough draft poems. These are two.

Border one is a concrete wall
Border two is the Falfurrias checkpoint
Border three are the people

If you have reached this far
do you know who you are (yourself)?

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My first border is a wall
plastando la tierra, separating
you from me, me from them

The second is a border
patrol station in Falfurrias
where every trip we answer
questions as if we are
coming from extra
terrestrial land
Are you a U.S citizen?
Where are you going?
Is this your car?
yes sir,
Alton (Mission) [Rio Grande Valley],
yes sir
I do not want to be deported
like you did that stranger
years ago
yesterday
don’t pull me over
like you do
my brother

My third border
in the restaurant
is you looking
past me