hala’s knock knock

a knock on the door and
she enters the room

define: penetrate

go into or through
(something)
especially with
force or effort.

she informs me
of the name of
my husband

define: marriage

consensual
relationship
recognized
by law

she tells me what
will happen

(to me)

tells me where I will live

define: live
remain alive.

with whom

tells me what to____ a man
how to____a man

define: please

used for polite requests
or questions

how to be(come) a woman

white sheets

blood stains

define: pure

free
of any contamination

but hala
I say

wherever his house is
can I take my dolls with me there?

By Sevde Kaldiroglu

Sevde Kaldiroglu is a creative writer from Istanbul. At age 17, she was the youngest author of a memoir collection published in Turkey (Yitik Ulke Publishing, 2012). She’s received multiple national youth awards for her poetry and essays. She holds a BA in English, Creative Writing from Stanford University where she served as the editor-in-chief of Avicenna Journal for three years.