THE STONE & THE WOMAN
(In the Islamic Republic of Iran, stones used for public executions must be neither too large, nor too small; proper stoning requires that the stone must be just the right size in order to cause serious pain and injury without killing the victim too rapidly.)
How is a stone
Different from a woman?
Just the right size,
One makes death;
Woman,
Made to give life,
Cruelly dies…
Her age? No matter.
Her crime? Look at her:
Defence against a rapist?
Peddler of her flesh?
Just choose the crime
That looks the best
As index of social morality,
And pile up the stones
Of brutality.
Not too big:
She will die too soon.
Not too small:
She must bleed and swoon
From the pain
All gather to see.
O, Defenders of Morality!
You soil the Qu’ran
With impunity,
So eager to make your world
Safe from sin,
You re-enact it again and again.
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Dr. Carole R. Fontaine