This piece was first published in Quarto’s 2021 Spring Print Edition.
Illustration by Mita Sharma
Every time you sink in thought you pull
your thick eyebrows together and that makes a frown.
Aunt says it isn’t good for a girl to frown.
Men can do it, but girls look sour.
But you’re not sour. You’re thirteen. Happy
when alone with your daydreams.
You put adhesive tape between your brows.
Now you can think and not be sour.
Lida (BC'23 she/her/hers) is a Psychology and Education major from Houston, Texas. Writing poetry is a way for her to connect with Iranian culture and explore new creative boundaries.