The next time they blame you
remind them you’re not
the only one living in there
when they show their fury
assure them you’ll be leaving soon
and that thing they call your body
is just a place you were visiting temporarily
and not by choice
when they call you a scoundrel
thank them with rose water
and pomegranate tea
tell them its all just a bad translation
from Arabic to English
when they call you hypocrite
insist your brain and heart
don’t talk to each other anymore
due to an irreconcilable past
and though your mouth
tends towards neutrality
you make this occasion
to assuage them
before you constrict your talons
around their necks