My Longtime Brush

Someone will happen upon it,
next to the mouse trap.
By then, the dust of hours passed
would drench its identity,
a commercial brush...

Purchased by an Iraqi-American
or American-Iraqi -whichever convenient,
accompanied by a British-Iraqi -indefinitely,
at some 'capitalist' mall,
where the lures of 'fantasy feminism'
were at play.

They will happen upon it,
next to the trash can,
and wonder,
who chose to brush their mind away
during laborious empty days of
deep thought?
Who decided to void
their gender,
their identity,
for pennies on the dollar,
in this promised new life?

They will question;
the taste acquired,
the judgement,
the quality assessed,
and the final
decision...
to discard a plastic
"Vicky C's" brush
under a
work desk
at a law firm,
....
and leave it
untouched,
contaminated by
rat dung,
that at some point
had launched 
centuries of war-triggered O.C.D.
in one single second.

Tall Baghdad Nights

We slept on cool, 
gently breezed rooftops
under clear soaring skies.

Stars so high, 
they stooped 
to kiss 
the gentle hands of God.

We lay enveloped in white sheets,
as pure as the fronds 
of newborn date palms
bleached 
under the Baghdad sun 
as the day dragged on.

At night, covered in crystal
net tents,
twisting the fiercest of 
gnats' ambitions.

Our dreams as pure
as Jesus's peace
on earth. 

Little did we know...
that soon the stars 
would be waging wars
against...
our dreams,
against our sleep,
against our peace...

Evil Eye

I left an eye

blue stone 

and wide

high on the wall

staring straight

at an empty floor.

I let an eye

lids lowered

hover

over canvas-covered chairs.

I raised the eye 

above the window

so sky was near...

Still semi-precious 

tears

soaked the heaped pieces

of the past.

No canvas is 

strong

for the sores born of wars.

The immunity from memories 

cracks 

at the seams 

of our stitched-up fears.

This eye

blue

stone

and the constant stare.

No evil enters

beyond

the front door.

And yet

all the eyes 

and all the blue

and all the stones

... could not stop a single war.