BROWN BUREAUCRACY

Illustration for "BROWN BUREAUCRACY" by Anahita Monfared. Features a brown face with orb-like eyes, inside the layers of another open face. There is an eyeball on the back of the face's bald head.

Mama-comes-home-crying-her-co-workers-made-fun-of-her-accent-again-Everyone-cuts-their-conversation-with-Baba-short-his-broken-English-makes-them-nauseous-If-only-they-all-k new-how-funny-how-gentle-how-cool-he-is-in-Farsi-the-boy-at-the-bar-touches-me-without-asking-says-he-has-never-touched-an-Iranian-before-Uber-driver-asks-me-where-I-am-from-then-if-I-am-afraid-of-where-I-am-from-No-but-I-think-you-are?-I-am-16-&-my-first-boyfriend’s-grandmother-asks-me-if-all-Iranian-men-cheat-on-their-wives-have-multiple-wives-Is-it-true-they-all-have-multiple-wives?-My-acting-teacher-calls-me-The-Iranian-instead-of-my-name-the-first-month-of-the-semester-Starts-a-new-game-where-he-stops-class-occasionally-so-he-can-ask-me-if-I-think-there-will-be-a-war-between-America-&-Iran-everyone-laughs-every-time-so-I-do-too-Then-I-go-on-a-date-with-a-pretty-girl-and-when-I-tell-her-I-am-from-Iran-she-is-so-excited-Oh-my-God-that’s-crazy-my-dad-served-in-Iraq-for-a-few-years-actually!-Baba-is-mad-when-someone-asks-where-I-am-from-and-I-say-Canada-and-Iran-No-No-No!-When-they-ask-say-Canada-only-say-Canada-always-say-Canada–But-Baba-when-they-ask-they-are-never-asking-about-Canada-Brother-misses-his-flight-randomly-selecte d-again-again-always-really-just-so-random-how-he-is-selected-every-time-Muslim-ban-mea ns-none-of-us-could-go-to-America-that-week-even-though-we-aren’t-even-Muslim?-White girl-in-my-acting-class-diagnoses-me-lucky-there-are-just-no-more-roles-no-more-auditions-for-her-anymore-but-MENA-populations-are-only-2.5%-of-onscreen-representation-(the-low est-of-any-other-group-but-that’s-like-whatever)-Santander-bank-won’t-let-me-open-an-acco unt-because-when-they-entered-my-CITY OF BIRTH:TEHRAN-the-screen-lights-up -like-a-stop-sign-I-tell-the-banker-This-is-xenophobic-He-does-not-know-what-the-word-means-My-acting-professor-tells-me-You-are-lucky-to-be-here-I-agree-I-think-he-means-New-

York-University’s-Tisch-School-of-the-Arts-but-actually-he-means- 

 

The U.S. 

census thinks Middle Eastern and White can be compounded into one category. I will select 

  • WHITE 

when I am treated as such until then: 

  • OTHER 

In the empty space besides it, elaborate further: SEXY TERRORIST

Anahita Monfared is a Persian-Canadian writer, actor and dancer based in NYC/Lenapehoking. They work with text, movement, and performance art to explore the body politic, gender/sexuality, violence, disability, and disobedience. Upcoming: ENGLISH  (TheaterWorks Hartford / LongWharf Theater) and 1001 NIGHTS (La MaMa Experimental Theater Club). They are the Director of Development at Dyke Theater Co. and the Associate Artistic Director of MENA Artists Initiative. A previous Brooklyn Poets Fellow, you can find their work in the poem-a-day poets.org series, the Beloit Poetry Journal, the Canadian Shores Anthology, and, now, Bloodletter Magazine! Currently, Anahita is finishing their debut poetry collection, NOT THIS BODY. A graduate of NYU Tisch (BFA Drama ’24).

Instagram: @anabringsthehita
Website: www.anahitamonfared.com