Misinformed

Three sips of one coffee and I can still
tell you one perfect lie
wrapped inside the vermicelli

just above the cheese on your Kunafeh plate
this is information you have proved wrong so far:

the number of times I told you to read
my religion from my name
the extent of stretching a woman needs to walk up a street
darlin', it is twice as long because of our narrow feet

our long streets. The amount of pain that results
from dancing all night with the wrong pair of feet
attached to your body, like walking on broken glass
emphasizes how fast you can bleed

how much more can you take if I say more?

this is the Eastern information you have received:

three children dead, one sent to school
one to buy vegetables,
one to his bed

ten cameras broken before the right to speech
was accredited and ratified
left to corners and spilled out

tents replace houses here,
refugee camps like children
come with no one to expect their arrival

summer is long
winter is harsh
whatever is in between just passes

too much is covered
our bodies, our pride, our womanhood
because of other eyes and fear

fear is endless

you have been misinformed my darlin',
but honestly, no one can blame you.