by Glenn Miles

---

North Augusta, SC

Patriotic bunting
and tricolored tinsel decor
hang from the ceiling
and the black vents above;

Green, then red,
then shimmering white
plastic against white ceiling.
White against red clay-colored
plaster walls,

Mother Mary
in a frame
strung with festive
LEDs,

Other paintings too,
of feather-capped warriors
and narrow village
streets.

I order Chile Colorado
in English,
too uncertain to try out
quiero or maybe
pido; afraid of sounding
like Peggy Hill.

It’s out in three
minutes: pork in sauce,
rice and beans,
and the namesake peppers
shoveled into tortillas
and then my mouth.

I use the pickled onions,
take pity and eat
a cucumber slice.
I squeeze the lime,

use white plastic spoons
to dip the green
and red sauces.
The green burns my mouth,
unclogs my nose.

As taco rises
to meet bared teeth,
the commentator on the TV
in the corner yells
like a tornado siren
and only stops|
to start again.

Goal!
I assume he says.

---

Glenn Miles is an eighteen-year-old studying English and Theatre at the University of South Carolina Aiken. In his free time, he enjoys reading, writing, and acting. He hails from North Augusta, SC.