Bound for Saudi (1991) Airports are where The families of the poor Reconstitute themselves Around the loss --Albeit temporary-- Of one bound for money. His passport gleams; Again he checks the spelling Of his unusual name. His contract clads His abdomen in iron; No one will go unfed. While businessmen Rush past him, wifeless and cool, To Tokyo, Rome, and LAX, Deserts blanket His cold brain. He dwells on their Irrigable vastness. Cousins bemoan The porkless tracts of Jiddah. (Go for the VCR!) Uncles applaud His inbred plumber's genius. (Tax-free Johnnie Walkers!) His father counts The interest to pay on Their mortgaged happiness. His mother frames His swarthy neck with special Bishop-blessed crucifix. His bride endures The taunts, his gritty silence, Their hard, abraded love. He wonders if It will still be morning when They lick the scraps of his Pre-departure Feast, propitiate their saints, Then bolt the door, and sleep.