I couldn’t save her.

By: Laura Larkins

Pure loud rage

I Heard before I saw.

A Karen someone muttered

HELP ICE IS HERE

Piercing through terminal noise.

Only light beyond the door

A space in which to disappear

One final shove– she is gone.

The voice grows feral

I DON’T GIVE A FUCK IF YOU’RE BEING NICE

Stunned silence surrounds shrill cries

Then boarding continues without her

A woman was disappeared– I saw.

In detention ever since

Others too, for months, some years

Boarding a plane, walking to work, buying groceries

No warrant seen, just gone

I dreamt about her that night, each night after.

I

couldn’t

save

her.

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Laura Larkins is graduate student at Harvard University whose work has been published in The Astorian, Westword, and American Community Media. She is a writer and educator based in Denver.