Officer, scrutinise
my papers and date of birth
with half-truths and unkind eyes.
Pinpoint if you can
where this life began
where it weaved into earth
and casually out again
honestly in precise
circumstances and coordinates.
You’ll soon understand dates
and stamps on a watermarked page
leave the bulk untold
whichever may be the language
used to slice lives open
behind bullet-proof, cubby-holed
existence across the ocean.
