Zoleka Fuyana | Zimbabwe
Thief in the night she will come,
Slyly, slithering, slipping through the cracks of your body
Woman breaks into you, snapping and cracking
Gruellingly, she will take over
Puppeteer, strings in her hands
Arsonist, your house she will light
and from the ash, you will rise a new being
Oh!
Sand in your hand, the little girl slips away
dead in Woman’s eyes, bury her at dawn
pink bows decorate her grave
a tricycle her tombstone
a memory she will become
mourn her, grieve her,
rip yourself apart and roll in the ground
lower her into the dirt and watch
as your ancestors receive her, as they receive what you once were
Swell in your bosom, sway in your hips, plump in your lips
Lingering eyes follow the trail of your body,
drool and salivate, mouths will water
first this will feel foreign
then you will revel in it
absorb it, let in sink in
War in your womb, you will bleed
Pain will erupt in you, rage will overflow
Pandora’s box unleashed
then the tears will cascade down your face
what. am. I. feeling.
And Woman will cackle from inside you
after all she is a mystery
an enigma certainly
Zoleka is in her first year of her computer science bachelors degree. She believes in telling authentic stories of African women and girls. Connect with her at zolekamirriam@gmail.com
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