PRESENTS FROM MY AUNTS IN PAKISTAN

They sent me a salwar kameez

peacock blue LUXURIOUS

POSITIVE

Excited to receive the presents, but doesn’t feel comfortable.

Glistening like an orange split

open,

APPEALS TO SENSES

TASTE

SIGHT

GLISTENING

METAPHOR

Candy-striped glass bangles

snapped, drew bloodPAI

NDISCOMFORT

BEAUTIFUL

REJECTION

She feels like they don’t belong to her, as they break when she tries to wear them.

She feels like she doesn’t have the right to be in them.

I tried each satin-silk top – was alien in the sitting room.I could never be as lovely

as those lovely clothes –

Feels out of place –

she’s not in her world

Feels that she is not worthy enough to fit in the dress...

SEPARATION

ALIENATION

Trying to work out her identity...

PAIN

DISCOMFORT

My costume clung to me

and I was aflame,I couldn’t rise up out of its fire,

Costume

She talks about the

clothes being a

costume, where you

wouldn’t wear it

everyday.

On one hand, the

clothes exotic, but on

the other hand they

are harming her.

PAIN

She feels that she can’t stand out; that she is somebody else.

My salwar kameez didn’t impress the

schoolfriendWho sat on my bed asked to see

my weekend clothes.

She had lots of guts to show

her friend the presents she got

from Pakistan.

She admires the clothes, but feels uncomfortable .

Discomfort Feels different from the rest of

the world

shocked

THE END