Am the pasture that the country grazed on,My pastures are so nutritious that the bornWhich misses them dries up. I am not just a woman,I am the pillar of the community.The poles that hold the roofs to theWall of a house. I am not just

I gave them the right to access my wombBut their own accepts no right for me I am a woman,I rightfully nursed them in theirChildhood but the man in themDenies my right. I am a woman,I gave them right over everythingBut they denied my right

I see a mother of nations,A mother that nurses Kings and Queens.I see a caretaker, a babysitter,I see one in a million worksI see a pillar of the familyI see a pole that holds roofs to the wallI see a door that provides security to

In someone’s absence one realizes the true intention of those who claim closeness and love. Death has a way of revealing by its power of omission people’s reality because after all, you are not here to check them. In its powerful grip, one is frozen

******************************************* I sing praises for my women For my mothers, for my sisters, for my best friend For my daughter, Abul I’m hoarse but I sing still; My battles; Laid out for me at birth It’s a girl!My woes and pains, wrapped beautifullyPain so handsomely

From mine own flesh, I skin you. Holding tongue between teeth, I stifle this pain. An unlearning at a price, my reality So; I console myself that it shall be well, it shall come to pass, I shall persevere. After all, don’t I breathe, yet? From

Leave. I dare you I beg you Least you are permanently engraved in my being Entwined for eternity and time and beyond being Leave. Save you From me This love is everlasting, it’s a taint, a transformation No, you and me, Tis a genetic I-ness amalgamation 

Stand up woman and riseGo on and speak about that rapeCry, shout if it will heal!!!Remember child to pull togetherRise and get the curves backStand up and stop being a slave to your thoughts  Cuŋ rɔ ma jiɛc rɔJakni rɔ a la buay rɛy muɔthMa

She looks at the handsome face lying next to her. A draft of last night’s alcohol wafts from his slightly parted lips. It hots her nose, face, enveloping her everywhere, as if to lay claim on her. Her heartbeat quickens. Even in sleep, this man,

******************************************************* They came in scores andConvinced Us that We Were Our own enemiesConvinced Us that the everything bestowed upon Us by nature was dirtyDo not discuss sex, do not mention menstruation, shave those pubes We revolted.Pick-mes entered the chatThey fought Us from the insideIn jubilation,

And one day I will dieI will not feel this fresh calm air I will not feel pain again I will not hear nor make sound I will not see nor smell a thing My body won’t move an inch All the crawling, jumping, running will

Here is a whip;Lie down for a hundred lashes on your body,A thousand more on your soul, andHow you just lost the memory ofThe sweetest kiss. Here is a hand;Bear its force on your face two times,An earthquake on your mind, andOh, there goes the

I didn’t choose which body my soul should be trapped inSo I don’t deserve this pain or the blameFor if I had a choice, I wouldn’t go for a body like mineA body like mine is a weapon against MeFighting battles everydayLosing battles everyday I

The women who have taken giant leaps out of the steep slopes of sufferingThe women who have known nothing but carrying daughters on their backsto walk into a prescribed lifetime of suffering This is a testimony from a woman who has known sufferingI will start

My home is like a two-way mirror,a single-sided reflection on each sideOn days when my sickness for my home takes over me,I don’t know which side I belong toI wonder: is it this side of home I belong to, or the other?How can it be

**************** And when I decided to leave,I left like Mama should have,I abhor daffodils,They’ve always graced Mama’s dressing table after a rough night,Daffodils made her stay,Daffodils made him worse,I wasn’t Mama,I’m not strong and quiet,I’m loud and I’m weak,My love can’t see beyond pain,Assault induces

You want to know why I write?Well, it’s because I feel like no one understands,or like I’m not being heard when I try to speak upI just write because my pen and paper understand me! It was a dark evening when I was returning from

I fear himHe is always in the gymHe sings feminist like an anthemBut his eyes are an emblem of repugnanceHe makes women jubilantBut away from the exoteric,Tears flow like River NileHe’s known to be slyAll the women are rocked with painThough curses are like chicken-to-an-eagleThe elderly women

My stomach is dropping I will not leave this house I cannot breathe Six pictures, an act of love, “I trust you, babe” “Sharing is caring” “FOR YOUR EYES ONLY” They’ve all seen my nakedness They all know, my shapes, my cracks, my curves, my

If woman is less manI don’t want to be equatedFor equality is NOT what I seekAnd algebra seconds meFor XX and XY will never be equivalentI seek Equity I am NO WomanIf woman is to abide to cultures and norms that undermine her intellect, power, talentSilencing

As a child, I grew up in a domestically violent home.This was more like a nightmare to me. She wakes up every morning schemingher escape.But what about us, her children?Who will believe her?Who will comfort her?In our small-space home, I could hearher cry. The slaps

As I clean this fishand prepare it for youDo you know I lost it last night? As I remove these silvery finsand wash ’em with salted waterDo you know your treasure is gone? As I bear this pungent smelland draw a quite smile on my otherwise