water color

You are deep within me and sharp, like a knife blade, but I feel a broken patch that needs to be sewn up so I can complete you. I carried myself, walking a long distance on my feet, crossing the dirt, both wet and dry. A bucket of shed water, plants and petals, headstones and names. With a fearful heart, I stood at your grave, seeking hope. I felt the marble layer beneath which you lay. Did it hurt? Did it tighten over your ribs? I wiped it with both hands. I held the Quran and recited Surah Yusuf, Surah Yasin, in my limp voice so you could hear it. I sat with strong, steady strength, as if I were carrying a heavy secret that I wanted to reveal. I approached you, whispering as if I were safe from punishment: "A man broke my heart... He crucified me on a bare column decorated with words. He approached my torso as if he'd touched me, even though he never had. He stood me up on one leg, taught me to lean on him, and then... let me go... naked like that column and laden with all the words he'd said and the words he'd left unsaid." About the author: Fatima Al-Sheikh Saleh, author of The Color of Water and 0 other books. The writer Fatima Al-Sheikh Saleh's book "The Color of Water" was published by Athr Publishing and Distribution House. View more