Poetry

Burka

Michael Thorley

first time I’d seen

a full burka

head to foot

 

deathlike black

nothing of her

but a voice

 

he wore shorts

sneakers, no socks

plain tee-shirt

 

arms bare, legs hairy

shaved head

round belly

 

and when he bent forward

the gap grinned stripes

of red-green underpants

 

the burka was on

the wrong one