Tola Ijalusi writes

Why Do You Wear That Veil?

I have seen the ladies
with glamorous parentheses
since the maker makes make up
on smooth skins
securing scholarship for straight and narrow paths.
I praise the beauty
that dressed in order,
defiling laws and traditions,
so I ask you
why do you wear that veil?

In your words
I hear the voice of men,
but what mouth would speak
out my mind
that my right rise
for my secret scars
bears comfort beneath
my dark veils
becoming blinded to wisdom
in quest for knowledge.