marlene mountain
one-line haiku sequence
december 24 1994

'if the clitoris is the seat of woman's pleasure, then away with it! women are
meant to bear children; that she should draw pleasure for the sexual act is unthinkable' aristotle

a haiku sequence from my heart

somalia the body the heat

somalia heat butcher-knife her ugly clitoris & labia minora off
scrape and bind labia majora a small blood & pee hole
family-to-be inspects for marriage a perfect virgin body
slice open for his unique allah-given size
moral & faithful she's not to have pleasure can't have
slit again a bundle of joy again close slit again
with other roving weapons he joins the male self-hatred game
she & his offspring deserted in the desert
toward rumors of food flies thrive on their sun-filled skin
the cradled rag of bones drops as she falls
hard death to a troubled & damaged life but she's only a woman
her mother of earth accepts all that's left to accept line

1: excision, 2: infibulation, 4 & 6: defibulation, 6: reinfibulation

Raw Nervz Haiku 2:3 1995

essays  'a poll'  &  'a poll letter'
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