Affectations can be dangerous.
-Gertrude Stein
They drew breath. Our breath.
They took what was theirs.
Called ours theirs.
My skin turned into a Jewish lampshade
with the tattooed numbers still clear.
A real trophy for the trophy hunters.
Here in the Museum of Jewish Relics
where the last remaining Torah scrolls go
an index card describes a once-great people.
On top of the scrolls, an advertisement
for the latest BMW. It roars
through the German countryside
with a blond-haired Aryan girl.
Grace Kelly smile. Isadora Duncan
scarf streaming in the wind.
Miles earned an MFA in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. A recipient of the 2021 AWP Kurt Brown Prize in Poetry, he lives along the Potomac River in Alexandria, Virginia, with his partner, the poet Zakia Ahmadzai. You can find some of his occasional artwork on Instagram: @mi.les2299