Poem by Thal Mohammed
Mama sends me off to school:
binty, she said, don’t let any boy fool
with your heart, for some boys like to
plant lies on some girls’ hearts
She tells me this and plants
a kiss between my eyes that almost
took the morning sun by surprise
and its light must have landed
on my forehead
But…
I will meet you
when I am no longer
a little bint and I will let you
fool with my heart and steal
the sunlight from between my eyes
*Bint: is little girl in Arabic.
*Binty: is “my little girl” in Arabic.