My Ghost in Exile

by Arshi Mortuza

My heart is a formerly haunted house, recently exorcised. It took trial and error to get through to the ghost in me. The language barrier — Latin, Aramaic, Arabic — meant she endured chants of “Go back to where you came from,” “You don’t belong here,” and “How dare you cross the borders, climb the walls of this heart?” She twisted her head in a full 180 degrees, unsure of what she had done to be so unwanted. She was the one who gave life to my body, causing the flickering of lights out of ecstasy and mania, opening creaky doors for those she wished to get to know. Now, with my ghost in exile, I wonder who will take the low-paying job of pumping blood for my next cheap thrill.

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Arshi Mortuza is a Toronto-based Bangladeshi writer shaped by a multicultural upbringing. She writes about diaspora, mental health, and womanhood. Enjoy her little haven for verses and voyages on Instagram.