Building Bridges with My Body

Building Bridges with My Body

my chest calves,
two bergs
and a cleft
to worm
into

warmth of its walls
are glistening dew
digging a path
to the heart
shrunken swollen slow-throbbing
an elegy to itself

my breath disbands
the cobwebs, shines the valves
inspiring a moth-like flutter
gratitude
grabbing the rhythm
pumping a happier tune

organs next ordered
a neat bibliography
potential titles
prematurely shelved
here is your liver
here lie your lungs
skeins of intestines
shredded pages
run ribbons
to crumple and curl

at my feet

pointing down
to the stomach
echoing shadow skeletal cathedral
scarcely a relic
sobbing and sorry
shaking myself

on the soft pink
floor of my gut
presenting
peace offerings
chocolate
white bread
rice
whispering you’re allowed these now

gently
sealing the door
give birth
to brand new
me

Artwork by: Salem Al Suwaidi (@salem_alsuwaidi)

These photos are part of a collection of images I took of an Emirati girl wearing the traditional Burg3 (Burqa) from the United Arab Emirates.

The Emirati Burqa is typically worn by older Emirati women, those with grandchildren in fact, but also by many single, independent women. The most important fabrics used to make it, imported from India and known for its role to absorb sweat, is the lining that is called the “Sheell” or “Station Detection”("الشيل" أو "كشفالمحطة". It comes in various types, red being the most luxurious, yellow a common version, and green the cheapest of all three. In the middle of the Burqa is a small piece of wood called the “Sword" ("السيف"), delicately resting on the nose of the empowering woman wearing the traditional piece. Wrapped around the Burqa is a woolen or cotton yarn ("Shabk" or "الشُبُق"), silver or golden, placed behind the head in order to be worn.

Mary (she/her) is a 26-year-old psychology graduate from the Black Country, England's coal-stained core. Her work often centers around identity, perceptions of social class, and capturing snapshots of nature. She has previously had two poems published by Abergavenny Small Press, and has work upcoming in Opia Magazine, Re-Side Magazine, and The Alchemy Spoon. Follow her on Twitter: @MarySenier