MUG SHOT

the walls of seodaemun prison

are plastered with photos of resisters

each one my brother

or the sister i have longed for

steady unsmiling gaze at the japanese camera

trademark korean cheekbones

broad nose and heavy lids

the features passed through generations

this is my TSA airport face

when i accept the humiliation of a body search

insisting on eye contact with the agent

to acknowledge our shared humanity

innate equality undiminished by state authority

incarceration doesn't dull

strong jaw of the profile shot

the sharp dignified chin

i rest my forehead on cold stone prison floor

bow down to the ghosts of revolution

meanwhile back on the subway

i gaze at the before and after ads

of plastic surgeons

see how our korean features 

are being obliterated by choice

our solemn gaze

turned into a round-eyed anime caricature

i pray to my ancestors

forgive us the frivolity of our lives

in the holocaust of yours

indulge us our escapism

in the face of your captivity

allow us to forget it all

even momentarily

if that's what it takes

to survive yet another round

another hour, day, or lifetime

of polite senseless savagery