"Tissue" was written by Pakistan-born British poet Imtiaz Dharker and published in her 2006 collection, The Terrorist at My Table. The poem is an impressionistic meditation about paper, focusing on the way that it represents both human fragility and power. The poem shifts its focus throughout, first looking at a Koran and information that has been written in the back about people's births and deaths. Later, the speaker imagines what it would be like if buildings were made out of paper, before finally relating it back to the "tissue" of human skin.
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Paper that lets ...
... could alter things.
Paper thinned by ...
... born to whom,
the height and ...
... transparent with attention.
If buildings were ...
... of the wind.
Maps too. The ...
... railtracks, mountainfolds,
Fine slips from ...
... like paper kites.
An architect could ...
... or block,
but let the ...
... with living tissue,
raise a structure ...
... into your skin.
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
A Reading of "Tissue" — The poem read by the poet herself.
The Invention of Paper — A short video exploring one of humankind's most vital materials.
An Interview with Dharker — An informal chat with the poet.
More Poems by Dharker — A valuable resource from the Poetry Archive.
Dharker's Website — The poet's own website, with details of Dharker's other poems and films.