Kneading Dough

BY MIMI KHOSO

We’re gathered here in this sacred place
Darting looks of judgement and envy
You still manage to pull a sour face
As the imam gives the khutba about how to love thy neighbor
I look down at their feet, calloused but not withered
It’s as if I can read their lives from their feet

Every untrimmed nail and hard blue vein
Running after children
No time to thrive, only maintain
Resilient, despite the shock of motherhood
Dressed in burnt orange Salwar Kameez and glass gold bangles
The baby coos and gurgles until the azan comes
Then its shrill cries and a burst of tears
How dare their mother do something for herself?
Religious commitments don’t end
Such tribulations only make them more clear

Babies, an extension of their mother until around age four
Then one day their need for cuddles suddenly ends
And the only remembrance is saggy pillows and stretch marks
Designed like directions on a map

Despite the sleepless nights and loss of time
Soon the baby discovers their own independence
He sits nicely as his mother prays sunnah
He fixes his own hat when it falls
Like kneading dough, she forms to the chapter of her life
Her tests become her triumphs, her loss is what she gained

I make a dua after Jummah, thanking God for His preference
The little things I cherish, take the good with the bad
How can you appreciate God’s gifts?
If it’s honey all the time
Sometimes we have to feel the sting

Mimi Khoso is not great at short biographies, and the pressure it causes to make an appealing impression in short summary. She does understand the need for it however; she was born in Georgia in 2002, and has moved all over Georgia and Texas during her childhood. She doesn’t have any professional credentials for writing poetry.  She believes that once you discover your passion it gives meaning to your life. Her favorite book is The Beguiled by Thomas P. Cullinan and her favorite song is Saanson Ki Maala, based on the 16th-century poem by Mirabai then popularized by sufi singer, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. She has realized what makes celebrated films and timeless music profound is in its words. One of the great pleasures in her life is reading and writing and she is not fully able to explain why. When she converted to Islam over four years ago, she read of its deniers claiming the Quran to merely be a great work of poetry. To that, God responded to produce a verse similar to His if you can.