Sumreen Younas Poet Free verse

TAKEN IN

By breakfast, a voice note crossed the lane.
It had her laugh exactly—
even the small breath before a word—
but none of the words were hers.
Her mother played it once
and laid the phone face down.

By noon, the grocer would not say her name.
"I never said it," she told him.
He counted change into her palm
without looking up.
At three, the tailor set her ticket aside.
"Tomorrow," he said,
and called the next woman forward.

Years earlier, a schoolbook showed
a woman tried for witchcraft,
her neighbours pointing from the page.
The artist had given each a face.
Only the accused had a name.

For eleven days, her borrowed voice
entered rooms she could not enter.
Her mother set warm bread beside her;
by morning, only one bite was gone.
Each day her mother asked the first sender
where he'd found the recording.
On the eleventh, he wrote,
"I made it. It was only a joke."
Her mother shared his words.
Three people replied with flowers.

When she returned for the dress,
it hung loose at her waist.
The tailor gathered an inch of cloth
between his finger and thumb.

"Don't worry," he said.
"No one will notice."

♡Like0

Share Poem

---

Post Comments

Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.

Please Login to post a comment