A Case of Subduing a Woman’s Body (revision)

[Todd]

Revision

Must she peel back the starless night
to wrap herself in its emptiness
with no pinprick of light allowed entrance?


if gazes linger,
if fever shapes the shapeless,
if eyes etch the form,

is it the fault of the cooked rib,
or failure to follow the command
to beat her?

By the rod, by the stripes of the lash
back into obscurity
to pass silent in the sky, a darkened moon?


if there is no tongue to speak,
no unmarked back to ease this burden,
then the offense is our own.


From blighted root to blighted leaf
all voices are Awrah,
all remain naked.

Original

for Lubna al Hussein



Must she peel back the starless night,

and wrap herself within its emptiness

with no pinprick of light allowed entrance.


if the gazes linger,

if the fever shapes the shapeless,

if the eyes etch the form,



must her body be subdued by the lash?

Can she be beaten back into obscurity

to pass silent in the sky,

a darkened moon without a voice?



if there is no tongue to speak,

no unmarked backs to ease this burden,

Then the offense against heaven is our own.


And all voices are Awrah,

and all are naked.