Gliding in and out
of our bodies,
the tourists regard us
with curiosity.

They sometimes
walk with us,
sloughing their grisly
remains across

the city streets,
but most of them
remain content
in watching.

In death, we will
understand them;
they will shed their skins
to make us believe

to make us remember
to make us understand
that we are so much
like them inside.

The Invisible Tourists
originally published August 13, 2008

Kristine Ong Muslim has published more than 500 poems and stories in more than 200 publications worldwide. Her work has appeared in Abyss & Apex, Dark Wisdom, Mythic Delirium, Not One of Us, Tales of the Talisman, and Star*line. Her work also has received an Honorable Mention in Year's Best in Fantasy and Horror and twice won Sam's Dot Publishing's James Award for genre poetry.