Mia Broecke
The Colors of a Watermelon
Kat Abdallah
Why are you afraid?
It’s just the colors of a watermelon.
Eat it with bread
like Baba said, and soon
you’ll feel full and not scared.
Red
like my grandmother’s henna-stained hair.
Green
like the threads in her dresses.
Black
like the burnt rubber lining her eyes,
and White
like the flour coating her hands.
Why are you afraid?
It’s just the colors of a watermelon.
Eat it with bread
like Baba said,
and soon
you’ll feel too full to be scared.
Red bloodshot eyes
and stains on hospital sheets.
Green churning bile.
Black pupils dilated in shock
and White skin making decisions
for brown bodies.
Red, Red, all I see is Red,
the sky is Red,
but they see
Green
Green
Green
Green
because there is always money for war.
Blackout.
White bones lie
in the rubble
of mass graves.
Why are you afraid?
It’s just the colors of a watermelon.
Eat it with bread
like Baba said, and then
you’ll feel full and not scared.
Red
Green
Black
White
Why are you afraid?
It’s just the colors of a watermelon.
Kat Abdallah (she/her) is a Palestinian-American writer, educator, and advocate for refugees. Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Kat is currently pursuing a PhD in creative writing from Oklahoma State University. Her work has appeared in Adi Magazine, Rising Phoenix Review, The Los Angeles Review, and Welter. In her free time, Kat is a storyteller in community theater and competitive cosplay.