Facing east, the faithful mutter
into the mars-red sand.
She is small-boned, a slim
fourteen as she kneels
in her newly fashioned chador which
covers her from head to erotic foot.
Fifty times the flogger's
rope strikes: red threads
of silk split over her. How slim
her body bent in shame,
how small in prayer.
A truck arrives with concrete;
hundreds of men lob them at her,
chunked missiles strike
her down into the searing sand.
In two hours she is pronounced dead.
How merciful; how merciful.
—Teresa White
Teresa White has had over 200 poems published in online journals over the past 10 years. Her first book, "In What Furnace" may be purchased directly through the author.
Sunrise In Riyadh (1986)
