Before
Before illegal
Before becoming the influx, the scar, the stain
Before finding my new name in a scuffed English novel
Before Jane
Before mastering the sturdy handshake
Before never using it
Before swallowing the lilts of my own tongue
Before forcing my mouth to e-nun-ci-ate
Before being misunderstood
Before dreaming of my mother’s songs
Before learning the spirals of British decorum
Before cup of tea, anyone?
Before yearning for a belonging I could name
Before the sound of my laugh began to decay
Before the grope of polyester
Before my prayers mocked me
Before Go Home ricocheted from mouths to vans
Before dreaming of going home
Before each footstep became an apology
Before how destitute exactly?
Before not destitute enough
Before application refused
Before temporary
Before knowing
Before the stain, the scar, the influx
Before illegal
Before