Wiped Clean

On our trip to Japan I was again reminded of the biometrics that come into play, especially my fingerprints. I know the poem is a repeat but it remains apropos.

Wiped Clean

"Wash your hands!" tagged me

like words stitched to my shadow:

admonishments from my mother

postings in public restrooms

moralizing in med school

and caveats about Coronavirus

So I lathered and rinsed, soaped

and soaked. And my fingerprints slowly

sloughed off. Of dubious import to me

but not so for the Feds. A glitch

in their game plan.

After a delay, my partial prints okayed. But

in these cynical times white-bread me

wonders if I had darker skin would it be

more problematic?

Marlyn Aschoff Mellor