‘Yellow Line’ by Sukhmani Khorana1 min read

We are both in the queue that says
Australian and NZ citizens.
You step across the yellow line and
glance at the camera
while I tentatively put my passport
photo side down and
force a smile that matches
my picture:
an image of
a respectable brown woman
grateful for the opportunity
to clutch an imprint of the coat of arms
as she steps past the yellow line.

Then on the other side
you pass me a sealable plastic bag
and put your laptop on the tray.
You joke with the man in front of you about
a system that might scan for illegal downloads
while I avoid the gaze of the security officer who
may just stop me for a random check because
such is the privilege of
being able to cross the yellow line

Sukhmani Khorana lectures in media and cultural studies at the University of Wollongong, Australia. Her ivory tower is akin to a mother of pearl art studio, where she practices multicultural ethnography across writing and photography. Sukhmani’s creative work and commentary has appeared in Overland, Crikey, Kill Your Darlings, Peril, and The Conversation.

Featured Image via Shutterstock