Kyle Carrero Lopez’s ‘A Few Miles from Prison’
A new poem by Kyle Carrero Lopez from the LARB Quarterly, no 49: ‘Traffic.’
By Kyle Carrero LopezAugust 12, 2026
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This poem is a preview of the LARB Quarterly, no. 49: Traffic. Become a member for more fiction, essays, criticism, poetry, and art from this issue—plus the next four issues of the Quarterly in print.
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A Few Miles from Prison
They park at a rest stop, squash the Guantánamo grass,
Pull shades on, stretch legs simmered in sweat.
They empty their bladders with tokens.
They purchase water, tip well, sip fast, sip
Slow. They crunch plantain chips,
Pet a dog, smell its shit close by.
They post up at the lookout
And look out: mountains dressed in the greenest green.
They snap shots in wide view. Zoom in.
They are we, en route to Baracoa.
We scale uphill streets, collect stamps,
Hold US passports, observe,
Muse, move far from the prison, then further.
We wear chains of silver, chains of gold
If chains at all.
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Featured image: Albrecht Dürer, The First Knot, ca. before 1521, is in the public domain. Accessed August 6, 2026. Image has been cropped.
LARB Contributor
Kyle Carrero Lopez is the author of Party Line (Graywolf Press, July 2026) and serves as editor for The Poetry Project Newsletter.
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