for the man named afghan

d ellis phelps

September 6, 2026 

~UT Hill Country Clinic, July 2026

for the man named afghan

dressed in white linen

sneezing and coughing 

—his dutiful wife next to him

her body      shrouded in black hijab

her head and face covered

her feminine features reserved

only for him

the man to whom the receptionist said:

your insurance is no good here

you must pay

to see the doctor 

you must pay

the one whose broken english

could not help him say

he did not understand

why he had to pay

he had to pay       so much

health care in his country:

low cost or free

~

there is so much wrong here

~

privileged — a white woman

— i cannot watch this happening

i cannot speak his language

no one here does

i am no nurse

i cannot treat him

i cannot make his coverage pay

i cannot make the clinic change

policy 

after all

is policy

i cannot soften hard hearts

i cannot help everyone

so many people 

in so many lines

too much suffering

in the land of the free

change comes hard here

while debaters debate

believers believe

and lawmakers make laws

this man      can barely breathe

d. ellis phelps is the author of five collections of poems, most recently, book of common breath (Kelsay Books, 2026).