Roberta, née Rawa in Iraq,

weary of explaining to

the salesgirls in cosmetics

her reasons for wearing a hijab,

decided to let her lustrous hair

flow down

and no longer cringed

when her  husband’s friends,

emboldened by cocktails,

gave her a small hug,

but she retained a strong distaste

for pork and household pets

and on her slender neck

she wore the hand of Fatima

just in case the Evil Eye

took the opportunity

to look her way.

(originally published in Knot Magazine)