Can I have a detailed analysis on the poem "The Border Builder" by Carol Rumens?

“The Border Builder” by Carol Rumens makes a powerful statement about the problem many countries have with immigration. Especially in the climate of the U.S. where border management has become a central issue among potential presidential candidates, Rumens' poem really resonates.

In this poem, she depicts a scene of someone building a border and someone questioning the validity of another person. In the third and fourth line, the speaker says that the bricks are made...

“The Border Builder” by Carol Rumens makes a powerful statement about the problem many countries have with immigration. Especially in the climate of the U.S. where border management has become a central issue among potential presidential candidates, Rumens' poem really resonates.

In this poem, she depicts a scene of someone building a border and someone questioning the validity of another person. In the third and fourth line, the speaker says that the bricks are made of his blood. This suggests that not only is the physical labor very intensive and requires blood and sweat in a metaphorical way, but it also may cost the speaker his “blood” meaning part of his ethnicity. He is, in a way, rejecting his ethnicity to build a wall that may keep out some of his distant family members. The question, “What would we be without borders?” is a rhetorical one that is meant to convey both sarcasm and reality. The speaker suggests that sometimes borders are necessary but at the same time are exclusionary and problematic.

The other questions that follow are of someone questioning another person's birth place, passport, qualifications, and color. Clearly the person working on the wall looks as though he might be of a minority ethnicity, so the person questioning him is suspicious about whether he has a right to be there. Furthermore, the questioner is aggressive towards him because of his appearance. When the questioner slams the man's hand and says a border likes blood, he show his hate and prejudice for minorities, even legal, hard working people like the speaker. This shows that racism is prevalent and it is a difficult road for minorities in the face of such aggression.