Gum

de Karen Hartman

"We are in a "fictitious faraway" country. Two girls, veiled head to toe, stand in a garden bounded by a high wall. They share a piece of gum. The walls loom, keeping the world out. The women's robes and veils--keeping their bodies under literal wraps--gain texture. In close-up, the girls' eyes become visible. They are shining with anticipation. We hear the sound of giddy conspiracy, as one of the sisters says, "I have gum." Here gum is a metaphor that spreads right through the bodies of the sisters who share it--a metaphor for pleasure, release, desire, transgression, America, the forbidden, the secret sexual act."--Back cover.