Dear Sidra, what could possibly be more
unfair to you than having the chances
of dance ripped like stars in the dark,
during the powerless moon’s watch. But be-
fore dawn when your mom would’ve fixed fatur
for you & your (now) less famous twin (Suzan),
the Others. And I know it’s unfair, Dear,
to see your family described like a mob
of sheep cooped up in their holding prison,
& marked as this world’s inevitable
sacrifice. Glory to the Martyrs. Yes,
but worse, that we remember you (after
what we did) as that little girl, limbs left
in ribbons. A trophy hung on the wall.
Katherine Shehadeh
Katherine Shehadeh is a poet-writer who resides with her family in Miami, Florida. Her writing has appeared in Witness and Consequence Forum, among others. Find her on Instagram @katherinesarts or on the www at katherinesarts.com.