Artwork: Spine, Dina Greenberg
Ghusl
Soak soft cotton wool in warm water
scented with camphor and
leaves from the plum tree, turn
your beloved toward Mecca
to wash away rivers
of blood-thickened mud,
place over his lower parts
a clean white cloth. and
press a wad of cotton firmly
where each bullet entered.
Gently wash where the flesh has
burned from his face,
then the right arm
and then the left
wash the right hand, next the left,
make clean the torso
where the bruises go purple and ochre
like the late autumn harvest,
cleanse the abdomen
thighs and shins
the right foot only
for the left you could not salvage,
wash three or five or seven times
wrap your beloved in the clean white kafan
his mother stitched, release
your beloved from your embrace and
spill to the earth the sullied waters, release
your tears in praise and sorrow
About the Author: Nominated for The Pushcart Prize, Best Small Fictions, and The Millions, Dina Greenberg’s poetry, fiction, essays, and articles have appeared widely in literary journals, anthologies, and peer-reviewed journals, both in the U.S. and the U.K.
Ms. Greenberg earned a Master of Fine Arts in Fiction (MFA) degree from the University of North Carolina Wilmington, where she served as managing editor for the literary journal Chautauqua. She also holds a BA in English Literature and MA degree in Liberal Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. Ms. Greenberg teaches creative writing through the Cameron Art Museum’s educational program and via online workshops. In addition, Ms. Greenberg provides one-on-one writing coaching for victims of trauma. Her work facilitating creative writing workshops for combat veterans and military families precipitated her recent novel Nermina’s Chance (Atmosphere Press). The novel earned the first place 2022 Firebird Award in literary fiction. She is now at work on an interview series with women of the Bosnian diaspora. Find more at https://dinagreenberg.com.
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