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to bury a curious girl


When I was younger,

I stood on a mountain of pillows

with a brave decision to swallow

a whole finger. My father insulted me

because I am curious.

All his life he wished to have

a non-trouble baby whatever girl or

boy.

My forefathers preferred to bury baby girls

rather than put them

in carriages and sing them a lullaby.

I was born with a great motivation to

scratch the sky upon my shoulders, crazy

monkeys and heavy weights, I used to bake

my grief each night.

And through the daylight, while they’re trying

to sell me,

I spend my time calculating the distance

between my gender and my awaited funeral.

When I took my first steps, my tribe circled

me like bees.

They approached figuring out that I have

thighs and breasts. They tucked me in the

obedience pocket, they dwelled me

in an iron cage. They ate my ears.

When I was younger,

I crawled toward my father’s shoulders. 

 

Amirah Al Wassif 's poetry collection For Those Who Don’t Know Chocolate was published in February 2019 by Poetic Justice Books & Arts, and her illustrated children book The Cocoa Boy and Other Stories was published in February 2020. Another poetry collection To Bury A Curious Girl was published by Bedazzled Ink.

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J Journal

Department of English

John Jay College of Criminal Justice

524 West 59th Street, 7th Floor

New York, NY. 10019.

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