Summary

"Beauty" begins with the speaker watching her sister wash herself at 4 a.m., which leads her to remember that when her sister was her age she stole their neighbor's husband. Her sister winks as she tells the speaker, "boys are haram, don't ever forget that" (15). The speaker notices that her sister's breasts are bruised, and notes that some nights they have to play Surah Al-Baqarah, a chapter in the Quran to ward away evil, to drown out her cries. Their mother has "banned her from saying God's name" (15).

"The Kitchen" is a series of couplets, and the first line of each names flavorful foods, such as dates, cayenne, and cumin. The second line in each couplet tells the narrative of the poem. It is told in the second person. A woman ("you") stands in her kitchen, knowing that her husband has been unfaithful...