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  • Papi's Angel Teaches Me the Value of Shoestold from an immigrant detention center
  • Willy Palomo (bio)

i use my shoesas pillowsas if to say my dreamsare far from hereas if to sayi am ready to leaveat any momentuse my shoesas pillowsand whisper eveningprayers intothe soles so theyfollow me the next dayuse my shoes as pillowsand let the heels diginto my faceso when i returneveryone will seethe countries I havecrossed use myshoes as pillowsand untie its mouthhold its enflamed tongueto my ear like a lover'sand listen to her mindlessmumble of dirt shiftinside use my shoesas pillows and peekthrough the holesto create my own nightsky use my shoes aspillows and wigglemy toes off the edgeof the bed like a tree [End Page 43] and remember howonce I let my chanclafall like fruithow now I mustbe ready to bruisefist and face forthis thorn torn pairof shoes ready to runthrough another noonthrough the solesand the skin onmy feet [End Page 44]

Willy Palomo

Willy Palomo is the son of two undocumented immigrants from El Salvador. His poems and book reviews can be found in the pages of Vinyl, Waxwing, The Wandering Song: Central American Writing in the United States, or www.palomopoemas.com.

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