In a Café Outside of Moria Camp
Written during research/workshop TrafoTransit in Lesvos, Greece, organized by Trafo and the Univeristy of Agder.
Printed in Fletta kunstmagasin #5 with illustrations by Hanne Korsnes, 12/19, Oslo, Norway
In a Café Outside of Moria Camp
The wind takes flight
behind the green plastic fence
and barbed wires rattle
in the upsetting sun
Aside from the unibrow
and chapped lips
you have the features of a pop singer
or a teenager
Six cuts
clean cuts
descending on your forearm
and you smile easily
more so than your friends standing
next to the vacant garden chairs
The buzzing of chatter
the humming of electricity
and treble from lebanese techno
fogs the anger
seething from mouths
A daze of stress
and territorial urgency
occupies the air
One by one
the speeches are held
repeating
rearticulating
the same bullet points
all valid, all the same
the attention drifts toward you
quiet
As it’s your turn
for approval
for document
for an identity etched in waveforms
all that translates
is the trembling voice
of your childhood