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Until this point our family was kept together.

from The Icebox and the Doghouse by Joshua Kirch

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lyrics

Exhibit 4

I came from Moncagua in San Miguel, El Salvador.
I am 16 years old.
I lived in my grandfather's home with my 20 year old fiance
And our one-year old daughter.

My fiance, daughter, sister, and I had to leave
our grandfather saw the gang kill our neighbor
They threatened to kill him
So we all had to leave
He is old so he went into hiding.
We came to the United states
Because we have family here.
My fiance's uncle lives in Virgina and wants to sponsor us.

My fiance and I crossed with our baby
at part Juarez, and had to cross the river by foot
It was very deep, so I held our baby
And my fiance held onto me to keep us above the water.
Two hours after we crossed, we met Border Patrol
They took us to a very cold house.
We slept on mats ont he floor
And gave us aluminum blankets.
They took away our baby's diapers, formula
And all of our belongings.
Our clothes were still wet
and we were very cold
And so we got sick
My fiance, our daughter, and I got sick.
We were there for about 10 hours.

After that they took us to a place with a tent.
There was also a structure with a roof but no walls.
They putus in a cell together.
Until this point, our family was kept together
But here they came and took our daughter and me out of the cell
And separated my fiance from us.
We were all very upset.
Our baby was crying.
I was crying.
My fiance was crying.
We asked the guards why
They were taking our family apart
And they yelled at us.
They were very ugly and mean to us.
They yelled at him in front of everyone
To sit down and stop asking questions.
We have not seen him since.

They made us al sit in lines and all face the same way.
If we tried to shift positions or turn around and look the other way
They would yell at us not to turn around.
There were about 30 children there.
They were made to sit on the ground lined up
And all face the same way.
They made us do that for like five hours.
Our one-year-old tried to stand up and take some steps
And the guards told me to make my baby sit down and stay still.
They got mad at me because I was having trouble making my baby
Who is a toddler, sit still for so long.
My back was hurting me from sitting there on the ground with my legs folded
And my baby in my lap trying to hold her still.

After that they brought us here.
We stay in a room with 45 other children.
There are ten bunkbeds.
We sleep two children per mattress.
They other children sleep on thin mats on the concrete floor.
The way the beds are assigned is that the child who leaves
Gives their bed to someone else
A girl left and so she designated that bed for my daugther and me.
Until then, my baby and I slept on a cement wall.
There was no mat so my baby and I slept directly on the cement.
We had 2 blankets, and so I put one underneath us and the other one on top of us.

I have been in the US for 6 days and I have never been offered a shower
Or been able to brush my teeth.
There is no soap here and our clothes are dirty.
They have never been washed.
My daughter is sick and so am I.

In the morning, they give us Jello
Oatmeal, and silver pouches of fruit punch.
At dinner, they give us a bean burrito.
There is nothing else in the burrito.
No rice, or cheese.
They give my daugther formula, but otherwise we get no milk.
We get no fruits or vegetables.

My baby asks for her dad all of the time.
She frequently looks for him and wonders where her dad is.
We both miss him very much and don't understand
Why they broke up our family.

credits

from The Icebox and the Doghouse, released April 24, 2020
Reading by Elisa Abatsis

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Joshua Kirch Massachusetts

Joshua Kirch is a musician and composer who started with guitar, and soon moved to classical guitar and performing in a guitar trio; really enjoying the range of repertoire (especially the Renaissance pieces) available. This led him to learn the lute and cello.
His compositions mix electronic elements with classical and early music instruments and themes, as well as more standard rock and folk.
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