Red Pens

　　by Tony Towle

　　 The little Hispanic girl at the stationer's

　　 on Park Avenue South just now

　　 asked me my name， and repeated Tonio

　　 when I replied Tony. ？Estranjero？

　　 Is he a foreigner？

　　 she asked her embarrassed mother，

　　 the proprietor， as I was leaving with

　　 the red pens I had bought

　　 for editing English but now

　　 used to delete the No，

　　 fué nacido aquí

　　 I had been about to say，

　　 to show that I too was a native.

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