Something I Saw as a Problem Years Before
/Adriana Rewald
I’ve noticed my jaw moving
further out of alignment.
My dentist is in Detroit and
my orthodontist in Warsaw.
It’s so easy
to list off the origins of these
souvenirs: my Seoul earrings,
my Istanbul scarf, my Sarajevo
purse. The St. Croix bracelet,
the Belgrade diagnosis, the
Roanoked heart, the scar
Fincastle left on my foot,
and this new Guangzhou-cut
hair uncurling in protest,
dragging lines across my face
in foreign mirrors.
Everything gets here somehow.
Author’s Note: I had just moved to a new country and was reflecting on the idea of place and belonging, which manifested as a catalogue of my belongings both physical and abstract. Each place I've lived has left me something that I continue to carry, for better or for worse. During the most difficult moments of adjusting to a new home, I find comfort in remembering all these pieces that refuse to be disconnected by border crossings.
Adriana Rewald (she/her) is a writer and translator who was born in Detroit and raised in Warsaw, Poland. She received her MFA from Hollins University and her poetry has appeared in Artemis, Toho, Poets Reading the News, High Shelf, and on poets.org. Her work as an international school teacher has taken her to South Korea, Serbia, and, currently, China.
