VIGNETTE FROM FATIMA FARHEEN MIRZA’S “A PLACE FOR US”

University of Kansas

you hand him the glass of mango lassi and two fingertips brush in a hint of heat, reminding

you why niqabis and british dowagers wear gloves and then it’s just you and him and the condensation reminds

you that you are both touching the same wetness and that meaninglessly meaningful thought will remind

you of his body for many years, as his turns to dirt and yours buds/blooms/sways in a world with no reminders

of him.