Student 000014

Student profile 000014

she was different
my god she was
(or her god
or our god)
no, to her, but one true god
(his name) and no other
inshallah!

she wore a shapeless sack
one size fits all
plain colours but pretty design
long gloves and
a scarf - the scarf

in a class of migrants
she alone looked foreign
but while they spoke
in splintered grammar
she spoke sentences
her voice was pure aussie
but never ocker
never showing
a sense of humour
and never laughter
nothing was funny

her eyes were blue
white skin around them
hair? perhaps
intelligent? o yes,
a stunningly agile mind
quick to judge,
slow to consider
the view of others
thick glasses
made giant eyes
staring from the hajib
out like a roo
caught in the headlights

o and at times a glimpse
of leather sandals
leathery feet
purple painted toenails
i felt dirty like a perv

she could have been thirty
married
with four children at home
teens to tots
and one on the way
it would be sacrilegious to say
a bun in the oven

strict? strong? fanatical?
i vote 'strict':
her religion,
beliefs and practices
came first
family second
there was no third.

she carried a prayer mat in her bag
and used my office to pray
or else went home .
she would not shake hands
in job interviews
even with long thick gloves

and she was tough.
where her chest may have been
a brooch
a golden scimitar.
i envisaged an uzi
leaping into the gloved hands
really tough
but i meant mentally tough
compromise was not
in her vocabulary.
couldn't.
so she fought her classmates
on many things
they got heated
passionate
she remained calm
employed reason and logic
so objectively
without passion or malice.
shot them down
completely

she was unpopular
the most unpopular student
i can recall
even the other two muslims in the class
couldn't tolerate her

i tried to like her
but i did not
could not.
she did not give enough
of herself
to be liked.

which i believe
is what she wanted
like the handshakes