I Was There...A poem on rape

-
I was there-
When the knight came knocking
Heart on sleeve, your heart a-begging

When he dressed so dandy
A date with him didn't seem so dubious

When the wine tasted like water
Likened to his kiss so tender

When your love lost its lustre
And when you lost that lover

When in his place came a lust-er
After quick romps under the covers

When your NO to him meant nothing
And your WAIT only made him wetter

I was there-
When your wrestle fuelled his resolve
Pleas and platitudes changed not his attitude

When unrelaxed and unconsenting
The missile launched into your blackhole

When pains came so searing
And skin came a-tearing

When wounds licked and heart locked,
You cleared your way to see the cleric

Your feelings damned, forgiveness demanded
Let go, Let God, If not, No heaven

I was there-
When with quoted scriptures and holy water
You were sent back on your way

I'll be there-
When you file a petition against the pervert

I'll still be there-
When you name and shame the shameless maniac

I'll be there-
When you lead him to the court of law

I'll still be there-
When you make him face the verdict of the law

I'll be there-
When justice served, you go home weary

I'll still be there-
To heal your wounds. To restore your worth

I'll be there-
To give you a song. A victory song
Over your personal devils and the society's evils

Love,
The God of the Nigerians.


15.4.18

Comments

Post a Comment

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. Do share.

Popular posts from this blog

ON SEXISM AND SELF-PRESERVATION

-
Image
PC: amazon.com We were a cluster of stranded pedestrians anxious to get home. Darkness had now fully ceiled the sky above us and, as usual by that time of the evening, finding a commercial bike was as easy as finding an incorruptible Nigerian politician. When I eventually got one (no, not an incorruptible politician) and called out my destination, a middle-aged man also jumped forward. He appeared to be heading towards my area too, and was getting ready to join me on the bike.  What made him think it was okay to assume I'd let him, a male stranger, ride with me? His presumptuousness irritated me. But again, I remembered the unspoken code of humanity: to forget race, gender, and all other dividing identities and render assistance when that was all that really mattered. We were all stranded and since I was lucky to find a bike that night, it was only right that I'd also be kind enough to assist a neigbour to get home safely. But no. I remembered all the times I had been sexually ...
Read more

WHAT DOES A PERFECT CHRISTIAN LIFE LOOK LIKE?

-
Image
One of the strongest reasons many children of God turn away from Him is that they are embarrassed about how often they go back to rededicate their lives after falling into the same sin again and again. They then conclude that this "born-again Christian" life is not for them after all. Truly, it is not easy to be all prim and proper at all times — never to be caught exchanging angry words with annoying folks online, never to be seen having marital issues, never to be caught in a white lie. But, thankfully, none of these are what fundamentally make you a Christian. What makes you one is, first of all, the desire to please God ("desire" being the operative word here). Christians are a moving mass of paradox — living in a flesh that yearns for carnal satisfaction but carrying a heart that yearns for God. So how you know you are a child of God who is loved regardless is that you feel bad when you do wrong. That feeling is not there for condemnation. It is there to steer ...
Read more

WHEN THE PATRIARCHY STRIKES

-
Image
Went shopping for a washing machine with my uncle the other day. He'd offered to accompany me because my preferred brand was quite scarce.  On getting to the first store, we discovered the price was above my budget for that product and so we had to leave. We went to another store but the prices were even higher, so we returned to the first. "Welcome back, oga ," I heard the manager say as we arrived. Then he proceeded to ask my uncle what our final decision concerning the product we'd priced earlier was. They spoke for a while, and when we eventually got some privacy, I turned to my uncle, bemused, and asked him, "did you see what just happened?"  But he hadn't noticed anything.  Two people walk into a store. Surely, the manager could direct a general greeting at them both. But no, the clown ignores the woman, his real customer with the money and instead engages the man who has tagged along only for moral support. It hangs heavily in the air, the soft bi...
Read more