La Migra by Pat Mora

I chose this poem for its poignancy. I believe that it is poignant because of the way that it expresses the situation that is so real to many people. I liked reading both stanzas to get both points of view. Each one is poignant in its own way, from the Border Control you sense their authority over this woman which makes you feel for the woman because she is in danger, yet she is doing something illegal. I think that it makes you rethink the legality of the situation. Then, on the other hand, you read the second stanza and understand the terrible conditions of the border and what the Border Control has to deal with everyday. The illegal "runners" know the area very well and are able to outsmart the Border Control in their own ways. Yet, in some way I don't feel as badly for the Border Control as I do for the woman running. I guess this is because there is such a truth, testimony, of the woman running, probably for a better life. This is a language that we are not familiar with living in the US which is why it is something that interests us as readers. This poet portrays an incident like this, one of which there are many, on a more personal level that is relative for a reader to understand.