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My hyphenated self


By Solmaz Sharif
May 21, 2002
The Iranian



i live

sandwiched between two gods



neighbors with me

in between

asking me for sugar and rice

and everything nice



mr. wayne wants me as his whore

rosie the riveter needs a replacement

he says

he hides her in the basement

cause she's getting

too damn loud

too damn proud

to put out for uncle sam

who never calls her a niece

for fear of being

incestual



but i will have to do

he says



muhammad knocks on my door

five times daily

says he's seeking his 73rd harem

he places his paradise on my fingertips

says i'll be his own little virgin

says he'll forget my vices

if i would just do this

for him

says he'll have some trouble turning me

from traitor to creator



but i will have to do

he says



both using fervor

as the weapon of choice

the word of one  god spills from

their bloated lips

resuscitating exhausted slogans

............united we stand

in the name of

man

sin in any name but their own

selected as the enemy

and my loose hips

fit that like familiar jeans

becoming targets when my saunter

strays their craving stare

and me unwilling

to bear their children

so they target cities bearing

my name

............bombing us back into

............the stone age

............using technology

............as makeshift time machines

target cites with names

i could give my children



target

my name

my name



my name



January 30, 2002


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