2 poems by meryem nuh

abused // dishonest

wrist blooms    open
like red gardenia blushing.
his index finger    slid
over my cheekbone.
once. naked. in full term.
a space where soft peels itself off    the walls
smell of raw and sweet meat.
 
sweet meat     open
like grandmother’s ash gourd garden.
his mouth climbed and    slid
down my belly button.
claim. stamp. marked territory.
body crammed into unwelcoming body    the walls
dig for unadulterated sapphire crystals.
 
sapphire crystals    open
like ice broken clean down the middle.
his eyes    slid
away silent after raking foolishly.
infidelity. dishonor. limp.
crawling on tips back into thorn bed    the walls
finally stop muttering under their breath at dusk.

a photograph from my childhoo

i am        smiling.
i don’t remember how       the photograph has too much
noise on it.
in it.
i suffered to be a daughter       to a father
in a country i didn’t believe existed.
 
summer crawled slow on my spine
when i was five y/o      and a leaf in the eye of abandonment.
the grayed center of a rose      when
a door closes.
lack of sunlight.
crisp      fresh      only on the edge lines.
 
muffled moans echoing.
skin       filthy skin
hurts
bleeds
skin hurts and bleeds.
worn inside out      red and virginal.
like church falling to its knees.
 

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 meryem nuh is a 20 y/o biracial, living in india. she writes poetry about being black, being woman, being muslim; culture and the self. her interests (obsessions) vary from cats to malcolm x. her work has appeared in vagabond city literary journal, the squawk back, sein und werden, and gravel; forthcoming in wildness. she works as a writer for qahwa project and is the editor-in-chief at artrefurbish. you can find her on her instagram, twitter and tumblr.