"through rivers; clinging to rafts; or yawning"
Border-crossing and belonging
Beach scenery by Kōno Bairei (1844-1895)
THINGS THAT ALREADY GO PAST BORDERS
by Franny Choi
trade deals; pathogens; specific
passports; particular skill sets; vegetables; car
parts; streaming rights; seasonal workers; some
insects; certain birds; religion; dialect; music
at the right volume; headlights; human
remains; wireless signals; all manner
of money; of memory; people
in trucks; on trains; on foot; in
lines; charging checkpoints; wading waist deep
through rivers; clinging to rafts; or yawning
their way through customs; sisters
separated for decades, whose faces
are as foreign to each other as the faces of
the dead; seeds; drones; prisoners
on planes; dictators in motorcades; orders
to kill; and longing; yes, this
most of all; the longing
of families; and the long
-ing of storms
from The World Keeps Ending, and the World Goes On
Creative Invitations
What in your life has already exceeded borders? Whether it is abstract or concrete, turn it into a piece of longing and hold it. What form does it take when physicalized?