Pinned
is iraq even real
You have never touched down on a hot but windy summer night in Baghdad & you have never taken to the many malls strewn through the capital & you have never visited the neighborhood your mother grew up in & you never cried imagining her walking crowded streets downtown & you have never been taken to Iraqi orchestra where your aunt’s husband performed & you have never aimlessly wandered the University of Baghdad where your mother attended & you have never snuck into the university library even though you needed a student ID & you have never visited the many decadently themed restaurants in Baghdad & you have never watched mauve and tangerine bathe the city in a glorious flare & you have never sat on the edge of the Tigris River a safe distance from drunken boys while the city lights trembled off the water & you have never hit up every antique store there is to take as many souvenirs as possible & you have never visited the Royal Cemetery with its intricate craftsmanship & you have never
