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A Pair of Scissors

Susie Gharib

I waited in the queue, so weary with fatigue,
after a series of long flights with very little to eat,
for those trays in the trolley look aesthetic
but are only fit to feed
the ethereal elite.

I was redirected to a slim queue for passengers from the Middle East.
A pretty female officer beckoned me to open my freight.
The weight sent a tremor from my spine down to my tottering feet.
I reeled.

She lifted every item with an auctioneer’s sneer,
inspected every content, not meant to be revealed.
I patiently justified the presence of every personal need,
such as a pair of fashionable, wooden slippers,
which I had declared,
two copies of my degree,
and layers of clothing which looked suspiciously neat.

I do not know why a tiny pair of scissors
excited her keen interest.
She asked me what for?
I said to cut paper and other things,
A trickle of sarcasm seeping through my over-brushed teeth.
I was finally asked to pack my suitcase and leave in peace,
my dignity simmering underneath.

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