They've Taken Queen of Sheba
Dis-appearance of women by the Taliban
Silent whispers in my ears. 'She is taken by the Taliban, our Queen of Sheba. She has been missing for three weeks now.' What?
Into unwanted stillness, my head falls faster. 'We must not tell anyone. It is a dishonour...' But for whom and why?
Lazy eyes, lazy hearts, sisters hold sisters' hands. Where is she taken? And who should we ask for help? I ask from within.
Entering the darkest and most suppressed corner of my soul. This is where noises are most muffled, and mouths are fast sewn.
Nothing speaks the truth. Words inwards. Words outward. Words entangled on top of one another in a chaotic bundle. Silence is a sin here.
Cementing words with invisible wounds, I ask our Queen of Sheba about her whereabouts. She doesn't hear me. I must scream. Silent scream
Either call her name or say my last name. She is not nobody. She's magic. History, and my cousin. Won't you want to scream for me too? SCREAM!
About the Creator
Parwana Fayyaz
I am an Afghan writer. Forty Names, my first collection of poetry, was published in 2021 and named a New Statesman Book of the Year and a White Review Book of the Year. I also translate both poetry and fiction from Persian into English.
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Comments (1)
So powerful. Thanks for sharing.