The Braid (conclusion)

Naima Muminiy

The tight-knit plait worn in girlhood
Braided firmly by your mother's hands,
your head lifted higher 
with each pull.

How else could you hold your head up high?

While her plaits start to thin,
her fingers continue to weave yours.
Interlacing tresses like what once belonged to her was all she could do,
to reminisce with pride.

Naima Muminiy is a Washington, DC-based law student, occasional writer, and parakeet enthusiast. Born in and from Samarqand, Uzbekistan, but raised in the United States, she spends her time navigating the complexities of being Tajik-American and how to put them into words — and sometimes through art. Mummy’s works include illustrations for Nodira and Uvaysiy: Selected Poems and publication in Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs.