Zehwah Sheikh

I am reminded suddenly of that time in like 2015 or something when the "President" said,
"I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn't lose any voters."
I think he knew what he was talking about.

Mom. 
There's this girl I've been avoiding. 

I've known her for a long time, 
And we were close some time ago. 
But at some point we just grew apart. 

I don't believe in psychics, but I believe in fortune cookies. 
It's not as if I particularly like the taste-- 
But it feels special somehow. 

It slips out of my mouth easily.

Pushes past my lips with little protest

And I almost forget the weight the words carry.

Easy as they go,

It’s hard to remember that

It

Hurts

Burn them all:
The black, the white
The left, the right

Yes, burn them all!
They're bad for our country:
The immigrants, the government
They're bad for us, trust me.

I'm Kashmiri. 

I understand the language but don't speak it 
Which sometimes makes me feel like a fraud.