Written piece
Dear Sister
Sahana Ahmed
India
About this piece
In a world riddle with differences, this poem is for every woman. We are all sisters. "Unstitch" was my response to the prompt.
Dear Sister,
Beyond
the ways of my sun,
the germs in my veins,
the brass in my claims,
my purdah, my name—
I am you too.
The wounds of my walls,
the tombs of my lanes,
the thrones of my queens,
my mehfils, my rains—
are your home too.
Thursdays of fire,
Fridays of steel,
yearnings of yakshas
and foreskins of djinns
are your shame too.
Remember,
when we meet next,
look me in the eye,
ask me—
Who bore you?
And I will unstitch my heart
and show you a new way
to etch your mother’s name.