La Migra

La Migra

  I

Let's play La Migra
I'll be the Border Patrol.
You be the Mexican maid.
I get the badge and sunglasses.
You can hide and run,
but you can't get away
because I have a jeep.
I can take you wherever
I want, but don't ask
questions because
I don't speak Spanish.
I can touch you wherever
I want but don't complain
too much because I've got
boots and kick—if I have to,
and I have handcuffs.
Oh, and a gun.
Get ready, get set, run.

     II

Let's play La Migra
You be the Border Patrol.
I'll be the Mexican woman.
Your jeep has a flat,
and you have been spotted
by the sun.
All you have is heavy: hat
glasses, badge, shoes, gun.
I know this desert,
where to rest,
where to drink.
Oh, I am not alone.
You hear us singing
and laughing with the wind,
Agua dulce brota aquí
aquí, aquí, but since youcan't speak Spanish.
you do not understand
Get ready.

Analysis: This poem cleverly shows the two paraxox-like sides to "la migra," which is Spanish for "the migration," or crossing of the Mexican border into America. There is clear parallelism between the poems with very similar opening and closing statements as well as diction within the poem itself. This poem is very interesting in that it reveals such confidence and determination from both points of view in the border control conflict. The border patrol man is very cocky about the fact that he has a jeep, so the woman can't run away from him. He also feels entitled to do whatever he wants to her, including rape, because he speaks English and she speaks Spanish and he has a gun and a badge. The woman, ironically, makes fun of the valuable qualities the border patrol man is so proud of, including the clear visibility of the jeep and that his badge and gun and uniform in general are hot and heavy under the sun. She feels as though she has the advantage and is somewhat cocky about the fact that she speaks Spanish and he does not, therefore she will understand when a fellow Mexican finds water in the harsh desert. The parallelism and irony provide excellent contrasts for the man and the woman, each of whom makes fun of what the other sees to be his/her advantage at the border. Both are extremely confident in their abilities and resources at hand, making the reader feel as though there is no clear-cut "winner" in "la migra."