Crossroads of identity and culture in a Sears bathroom

Mohja Kahf intersects sacreligious ritual, cultural identity, and the mundanity of Americanism in her poem. Her grandmother is described with words that demand a modicum of respect like “poise” and “matronly” that’s juxtaposed with the affront the other women in the Sears bathroom regard her with. Kahf explores how, although this Sears bathroom is leagues below the other places her grandmother has washed her feet, to the American women it is a dirty act that isn’t to the standard of the cramped bathroom instead of to her grandmother’s. There’s a tongue-in-cheek subversion of the similarities between the women and Kahf’s grandmother as they’re all “decent and goodhearted women, diligent/in cleanliness, grooming, and decorum” united in their effort to embark on the rituals of purveying housewares. The question of how foreignness is aligned with the dirty and wrong is explicitly raised in this poem but it also ends on an almost unifying note as the women are common in their goal. Kahf’s feeling of being in the middle, trying to placate both sides, was relatable and well-expressed. I also think her grandmother’s dignity and the characterization of American cultural norms was well communicated.