Virtual America

After three years
of non-virtual
delays and false starts,
construction began
on my virtual fence
created to stop
illegal immigration
from Mexico.

The network of towers
with cameras, sensors,
communication equipment,
was intended to be
23 miles long
south of Tucson,
the busiest area
of illegal crossings
and would cost $6.7 billion.

There was a five-year plan
to extend my fence
along the Mexican border,
with new border agents
manning actual walls.

Congressional inquiries
into $300 million
spent on a prototype
and environmental concerns
postponed construction,
allowing extensive debate
by elected officials
who finally realized
they were not paying
with virtual money.