He goes to the counter and presents the money.
He does not understand the currency.
The clerk could take advantage.
He wanders the grocery store, unaware of the foods.
If he bought them, how would he prepare them?
His clothing is odd.
He is out of place.
He doesn’t know the language.
With signs, he tries to communicate.
He cannot access his documents or his licenses.
He struggles to navigate the city.
People belittle him; they make fun.
They see him as lower class,
Yet he is trained as a doctor.
An upstanding member of his old community.
But here, in America
No one will give him a job.
Here, in the land of opportunity,
He sifts through garbage.
Back home, he served others.
In America, they treat him as a nothing.
_________________________________________Kicked to the Streets in America
by Stephanie Daich
