Blackgirl

This poem came about after attending Lagos International Poetry Festival last weekend. Being surrounded by so much creative energy was so filling, i'm still riding on that high. It's funny how we say we love our mothers and lovers  Yet we choose to measure the love in the amount of pain they've endured The amount of violence, of bullshit they tolerated from us Yet this is the love we claim Love vowed from not being our fathers Yet doing same to our lovers Yet raising our fists Cutting skin with our words and actions  Still laying claim to love The love we show by saying "yes strong woman You stayed, you allowed us break you Thank you for letting us use as we see fit your bodies" This love we proclaim to the whole world  Tweeting and Facebooking about Is the love that drags women through the dregs of hell and back  Using as footmats to step on as we please  And as ego boosters when we feel low Yet this is l...

I previously had not wanted to post this but then again, a second cousin of mine complained that her teacher was calling her 'my wife ' and asking students to sit with him and stroke his jaw. I was riled up and disgusted. A couple of months ago,  my younger sister told me a girl in her class got beaten, not once or twice by a teacher on her boobs * yes , you read that right * for wearing a chain,  she got suspended. Why? You ask? because she fought back against her abuser. Disappointingly,  her parents came to apologise to the school. The school who believed and shielded the teacher. The abuser was being apologised to. * let that sink in *. The pervert teacher who should be queried, sacked, shamed or even arrested was protected and defended by the Principal and other members of staff. It's really sad that this girl has being completely intimidated into silence and guilt for doing nothing, and even more sad that there was nothing I could do. Not surprising, stor...

Hiiii, so I have a confession,  I AM A FEMINIST , how stupid does that sound, that in this day and time that has to be a declaration but sadly it is, given the comments and shocked looks I get when they find out I am. Just like a while back I was with a friend and we were discussing marriage I think and then I said I don’t think it’s compulsory to get married and then she was like  “Ah, I hope you have not joined those feminism people’’, I was shocked but I still said “ err , I am a feminist’’. Then she went into a talk, the whole time she was speaking you’d  think I joined a cult or a militant group.  In a way I can’t blame her as a lot of people still think a whole  lot of things when they hear feminism; ·         They think we hate men ·         They think we are against marriages ·         They think it’s about who cooks or does chores. ...