Here in Sanctuary-Whirling

By D. Dina Friedman

"Whatever else it may be, poetry is foremost a witnessing, and D. Dina Friedman is our conscience and guide as she transports us to the border-physically and poetically-so we can better understand the pain and struggle that keeps "the machinery of the world running," and what drives a person to become so des

• Language: English
• Publisher: Querencia Press, LLC
• Release date: Jan 19, 2024
• ISBN: 9798869339669

D. Dina Friedman

D. Dina Friedman has published in over a hundred literary journals and anthologies (including Rattle, The Sun, Calyx, Lilith, Negative Capability, Chautauqua, Ekphrastic Review, and Rhino) and received four Pushcart Prize nominations. She is the author of two young adult novels: Escaping Into the Night (Simon and Schuster) and Playing Dad's Song (Farrar, Straus, Giroux), a short-story collection: Immigrants (Creators Press), and one previous book of poetry: Wolf in the Suitcase (Finishing Line Press). Originally from New York City, Dina now lives in Western Massachusetts next door to a farm with 600 cows. As a life-long activist, Dina has devoted time to Middle East peace, local land conservation, and immigration justice. In 2019 and 2020 she traveled on two witnessing trips to a child detention center in Homestead, Florida-and to the Brownsville/Matamoros border, where she co-facilitated writing workshops with women and teens. To learn more about Dina, visit www.ddinafriedman.com and subscribe to her blog on living a creative life in a creatively challenged universe at www.ddinafriedman.substack.com

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Here in Sanctuary—Whirling

D. Dina Friedman

Querencia Press, LLC

Chicago Illinois

QUERENCIA PRESS

© Copyright 2024

D. Dina Friedman

All Rights Reserved

No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission.

No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied, or transmitted save with the written permission of the author.

Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

ISBN 978 1 959118 79 4

Cover Photo: D. Dina Friedman

.

www.querenciapress.com

First Published in 2024

Querencia Press, LLC

Chicago IL

Printed & Bound in the United States of America

ALSO BY D. DINA FRIEDMAN

Immigrants

Wolf in the Suitcase

Escaping Into the Night

Playing Dad’s Song

For the children at the border camp in Matamoros, Mexico

and the children at the detention center in Homestead, Florida

and all children everywhere with big dreams

C o n t e n t s

Mira

HereinSanctuary—Whirling

NoteFromtheAirbnbinTexas:PleaseDon’tKilltheSpider

I’veJustFoldedThisPoemIntoanAirplane

RefugeeCamp:Matamoros

Ruptures

MyFriendTellsMeThereAreThousandsofStoriesJustLikeThis One

Statue of Liberty

Valentine

Bethlehem

It Was the Most Remarkable Day

OntheWhitewater:BigBend,Texas

CumbiaonYouTube

TheParting

Because the Wind Is Rising and Last Week There Was a Microburst

Pogrom

BecausetheDeaconCouldn’tSleep

IDoNotKnow

Determination

Hope             49

Acknowledgments

Thank You

MIRA

Mira,he cries.Look!

Puddles have grown into rivers.

The rio cannot be held

in its banks. Mira!

We are brothers in the flood.

Hermanos. Familias.

Families here, Señor

el Presidente. Mira. Look. Niños.

Have you seen los hombres del gobierno?

Pontificating balloons.

Do you have a pin?

Let the