street ice cream

ICE,

the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

This name is necessary,

but in 2026 it feels chilly...

almost

too close?

Their mission is to protect,

to keep danger out.

But ICE

doesn’t reflect that idea anymore.

ICE

pulls people out from cars on streets that look like mine

to harass them

in towns and cities not too far away.

The issue draws closer,

don't you feel it?

ICE

turns sidewalks into scenes

where voices shake

Mothers are being beat up

in front of their little kids.

Isn't that enough?

ICE

says it stands for what is right

but leaves behind

every bit

of

Morality.

Aren't they a

Lie?

ICE

is terrorism

with a badge. Validation.

Is that another lie?

ICE is where I walked

when I was little,

in Evergreen Park

in South Windsor,

where the pavement was warm in the summer heat

and the world felt small enough

to understand.

Was it?

I remember

downing chocolate ice cream,

sitting on a bench

between my parents—

who left everything behind

in India

to build something for me out of

nothing. Don't they deserve the

credit?

They worked,

and worked,

and sacrificed

and worked—

until they fit into this country

like they had always been here.

like a glove

made of thousands of

different fabrics.

Don't they belong?

Why does the cold

feel closer

to home?

Why does it stroll

near Evergreen Walk,

where I used to count steps

between licks of ice cream?

Where I used to

skip around and

browse Old Navy candy aisles

with my best friend?

My friends protest.

I want to, but

my dad tells me to be careful.

Suddenly,

the same streets feel

different

like something

Menacing

is watching.

Something

Unwelcome.

But do I see them the way they see

me?

I am a citizen.

But sometimes

that word feels

thinner

than it should.

Like it could melt away

in the wrong moment.

The melting pot,

do you see me?

On the same sidewalks

where I used to sit,

legs swinging,

chocolate on my hands—

I think about choosing vanilla instead.

Something safer.

Something plain.

But chocolate

is a part of me.

I am not a

Risk.

AUGUST 28, 2026