Exiting the Airport in Mobile

by Jessica Cloud

The bath water air
Relaxing and oppressive
Hits me like chicken broth as the automatic doors slide open
It sidles up to me, forces me to drink tea, and curls my hair

Both home and not-home
A place I am both of and beyond
This humidity is in my genealogy
My ancestors sweltered here
And oppressed others here
And struggled here

What here is worth redemption?
There is much to be saved
But my bitterness obscures that admittance
My connection to this place is real
And yet
Resented

Can I blow a sweet Gulf breeze through this stagnant air?