Poems for Woman Scream 2012 and 2013 Lesotho Maseru

Poems from Lesotho Maseru for Woman Scream Poetry Festival 2012 and 2013

Coordinators Poetry Farm and Sechaba Keketsi

It won’t break necks

By Emilly Achieng

Unbowed
We saw the light
Darkness had set on
And infiltrated our minds
But then again
Women can crawl again
For their rise won’t break necks

With growing and
Uttermost shudder we watched
Young girls
Missing classes at certain time of the month
Young girls
Were married off to elderly men
How things change fast
For man chauvinism has been broken
And it did not break necks

Some would say,
“Why educate a girl? She is s liability!”
But I’m saying,
“Educate a girl and save the planet!”
For even if they acquire knowledge
It won’t break necks

Manpower; no, HUMAN power taking over
Gone are the days when a woman’s place was the kitchen
Going beyond the comfort zone
To unleash their potential
For if they choose to rule the world
The effect won’t break necks.

Crumble

By Mandiwe Ndaliso.
(South Africa)

Crumble my hearts wall with your fist
Deflating my pumped bear chest
With your kiss of death
Every time I learn to gasp for that last breath
Crumble my existence with your sweet words
Making me believe that it can never get any worse
Worse enough to see my heart bleed
Weak enough to finally shed my last tear
Deep sigh, I am afraid, I am always trembling and in fear
Whenever you walk through that door
Hoping that this time this house won’t turn to a battle field once more
Oh no, here he comes, its game time again
It is that time for me to put on that fake smile
And wish that he doesn’t see how deep it goes
Praying that nothing that I say will make him
Put on those steal gloves and start the first round
Oh sweet shiver stand still, be quiet
Coz he will tell that he has put the fear of God in me
Keep still until he collapses or changes his mind
Maybe lose the strength to shatter my joyful moments
My happy tears that reminded me of those good old years
When he used to tell me, show me how loved and beautiful I am
So! What went wrong? Please tell me what did I do to make you hate me so much
Hate me enough for you to clench a fist full of anger
For at this pointing time, I still wonder if you ever loved me
I still wonder if whatever we had was real
If loving me was real
Crumble my last heart beat
To finally feel the heat
Of your foots vibration
Drawing closer towards me
Closer to boot me out of my quivering skin
Tick-tock, tick-tock
What round it is this, I ask
As I stumble to catch my footing
For heavily my breath, my breath
Can no longer carry me to that last round like we usually do
{a moment of prayer}
Oh God, help me survive this one
Heavenly father, help me stay alive
I promise this time it’s the last time
I promise I won’t go back
I won’t put myself and my kids in harm’s way ever again
Dear God if you listening
I beg of you to see me through
I beg of you to show me the way and what to do next
In Jesus name – Amen
STOP
Biting my lips in anticipation
Can this nightmare reach it conclusion
Can he get it over and done with already,
So I can run, so I can run and never look back
Shhhh! Keep quiet he says,
Can’t you see that you’ll wake the kids
The neighbours will hear you
Oh crap, al those memories of laster years
Crawl with a loud noise
A loud noise that awaken the choice
I once made when he told me
He will never do it again
But here I am in the beginning
When all it took was him saying am sorry
And that will be the end of the story
And yet now that story will become me
That this time it will be the end of me
So crumble my bruised heart soul
To a moment when I was once whole

Super female

By Emilly Achieng

Destiny voices call
louder and louder they become
hearing them from afar
louder are the contemplations as well

senses within tend to disagree
tearing us apart

but;
we rule the world
the world right on our fist

Stereotypes batter persistent urges to lead
gender views draw us back
they tell us that we are not ‘man’ enough
tell you what?
we are WOMEN enough

They called education a boy-thing
they called career a male-endeavor
passive were women
not long, our heads are up
we speak female
we stand tall amidst it all

Ignore not the voices of destiny
for the truth lies therein
accept not defeat
girls, ladies, women…
join hands and be the super girls,

super ladies and super women on planet.

I am a Woman

By Anna T. Gowera

(Zimbabwe)

Shyly, in innocence, my first bud sprung,
Soon to discern
Who they said was I.
Quick to water with words were they,
Onto which, for dear life,
I strictly hung…
Whispers hoarse
Behind doors closed,
Thus my schooling begun:

“I am Woman;
The crumbling of man.
I am rug;
Nose-wipe for some wicked thug.
I am Old-And-Shoddy-Rag
On which thine vile desires
Thou art to drag.

I am Weak,
Worth no more
Than a broken stick.
All that is about me is dreary and bleak.
I am one on whom to look
With malice,
With guile;
To be abhorred- that is I.”

I drank in the teaching;
Lapped the produce of their tongues.
Biting off large chunks
Of their verbal utterance,
I swallowed them whole.
I withered as I grew
And knew not what to do…

“I am Scorn;
Away from me must the light be shone!
I am Harlot, I am Shame;
Behold mine body with great disdain.

I am Insect
Waiting in ready beneath your thumb
I am Woman;
I have no name.”

I listened, I heard,
‘Till, with bloated head,
I did want hear no more.
Something was changing;
My rose was in bloom,
And to contain it within me
I had no more room!
Now my song is different,
Listen and hear
Behold ye and see
The breaking of dawn:

“I am Speech,
Sturdy and strong;
Invoking within you
Emotions long gone.

I am Grace,
A waltz in my walk;
Your mouth agape
Yet not do you talk.

I am Strength;
Your helper, but not your slave.
I am one who came
From The One Who Is.

I am Vigour, I am Skip;
Passion seeps
From succulent lips.
I am Jewel, I am Beam;
Superior in poise,
Entrancing in gait.

I am Shout,
Hearken ye the awakening noise!
I am Rage;
Do you dare to spoil my page?

I am Fountain,
Splashing; soothing…
I am earthquake-
Disturbing in my wake!

I am alive,
I see that I am.
Not as I was,
But now I subsist.
I am Phenomenon. I am Beauty.
I am Woman.
I am Soul.”

I am. I am Woman.

The Women 

By Ogamba Frances
(Nigeria)

We are the women
The lesser of human race
Men consider us shadows
Merely seen but not heard
We are the faithful wives
Of the men you send to the gallows
Slaves we are in disguise
Working tireless without chains
We are the receptors of the world’s anger
As we smile to our husbands’ sweet slap
We are the mothers of the children you kill
We gave birth to sons that steal
We are the vessels in the danger of rape
Mute we are made in a noisy world
Women we are as our dreams die
We aren’t allowed to pursue goals so high
Even as our men take refuge with a harlot
Our duty it is to give him warm welcome
We are the humans praying all night
Helpless we are in the heat of a fight
We are the women of the world
Killed countless times without a sword

INIKPI (oma   ufedor   Attah) *

By Omale Allen Abdul-jabbar

(Korea)
In honor of   the first woman president of Korea Senator Park Geung-Hye)
 


Inikpi!
Greater love have never been
Nor will there ever be like yours

That you walked with your own legs into your grave
For Igalaland
Inikpi oma ufedor Attah!
Warrior daughter of a warrior king

And songs and legends have lived after you
Ah! Inikpi more graceful than the gazelle of the savannah
Each strand of your hair was more precious
Than amethyst and chrysoberyl
Who was that fool that dares to stare openly at Inikpi when
She passes at the market square?

With your slender neck and slender waist
The dexterously patterned Igala marks that flowered your cheek
The ever in attendant fly whisk in your hand
And the blinding sparkles from your teeth
The golden anklets and rings on your feet
Ah! The performers that followed your everywhere
Singing your praises


 Ojo odoba * certainly took time creating you
Inikpi virging daughter of the ballad moon

Yea! That very moment that you were covered with sand
Total darkness blanketed the world
All the sound were still`d, silence fell on the clocks
The world have since searched everywhere for you
But you emerge today in faraway Asia
Warrior daughter of a warrior king
Park Geun-Hye!
First woman president of Korea!

_________________
*Inikpi- proud daughter of  IGLALA KINGDOM who sacrificed her life for her land so they could defeat their enemy in war.

*oma ufedor Attah- beloved daughter of her father.

*Ojo odoba- name of almighty God in Igala

 

Lebogang Scooter
(Lesotho)

Roses are dead

Roses are dead, violets are too I regret their
putrid fragrance, wrinkled petals depresses,
morning breezes brought dew.
Doses are bad, violence is too.

Solar flares strewn over gloomy sights, eyes of purple-bluish hue, bruised leaves clouded by discontent, precipitations of sadness falling with asunder showers.
Frantic pacing of retreating footsteps, when dawn and dusk merges in anticipation of her leaving the devil’s lair.
Poses are sad, silence is too

Wound healed not by suture.
As the sun descents the moon rises, and this chapter is brought to an end.
After all roses are dead.




____________________________________________________________________

Woman Scream 2012 Lesotho Maseru by Poetry Farm

Daddy Was Skilled

Poloko Lesuoa

Shhh! Hush…
Daddy’s home.
Time for Daddy’s show.

Daddy played mummy like a drum:
hit…hit…
Mummy gave a sound.
Scream!
Loud enough for the world not to hear.
Her cries lacked worth,
for nobody heard.
Nobody cared.
Nobody saw a sign:
scars, bruises on mummy’s face, pale skin.
Nothing.

Daddy had skill,
Never hit to kill… the sound.
He loved the sound;
the morns, screams of his drum.
But the world too busy to watch Daddy’s performance.
Never thought Daddy’s such a skilled drummer.

So Daddy stage-played before audience of one.
Daddy hit mummy before their son.
Mummy screams muted,
For the son shielded his ears from Daddy’s curses.
Eyes closed, too dignified to let Daddy have someone to watch.
So he had audience of none.

Fedup with playing to himself every night,
Daddy decided to hit hard
For his drum to give a loud sound.
Mummy cried, mummy cried.
She…
Damn! Mummy’s screams never caught the air this time.
Still.
Motionless.
Mummy stopped moving.
Dead.

The world came rushing in.
Maybe to watch the last performance.
Maybe this is what they’ve been waiting for.
Maybe that’s what makes Daddy perfect: a man.
For he hit the drum ’till it’s torn.
No more sound.

The Message

Maphano Mohapi

They say love is tainted
But women face it
Bruised and scared from fists,
Whips and words they stay in it
A
Women scream to the top of their lungs
So u can here their pain
Women scream to share their strength even when lions raw nd grounds shake

They scream till your drum ear burst because, you say they are weak.
They are weak because they shed tears in pain and joy, Because they feel

Are they weak? and yet they sit in parliament for your survival,
A Police women to stop the crime
A soldier to fight for your country.

Women scream because they want a moment of silence. To hear their heartbeats and thoughts so you can Understand their worth.

Women! Carry on screaming till you’re heard!

A Journey of a thousand woman

Siziwe Mpopo

I looked into your eyes hoping to see the face of young innocence,
But instead I read of permanent internal scares,
wounds still so fresh yet kept for years in silence,
for you never let them surface to light…

I looked into your eyes, beyond the colors brown and white
& saw a reflection of me & every other women,
Who dwells in corridors of silence, weeping in sorrow’s house.

Then I realized that your journey did not begin with baby steps,
for it’s a journey of a thousand other women who have walked this path
haunted by the reality of comforting pains,
embedded in fading memories
of sunsets past… I wished I had been there for you,
to hold your hand in the rain
& tell you this too shall pass…
I wished I had been bold enough to stand up
& tell my story & let healing take place.
For you would have learned from my mistakes,
& not walk this journey of a thousand other women.

I was hoping that those before you & me
Had been open to not go to bed,
With enclosed pains & told me of this journey
Of being women…
Then you have learned to pay attention to the inner voice
and loved me a little more before letting the world in.
looking into those eyes I saw:
broken ambition
fading hope &
lost faith
for love had let us down.
Grown too soon.
You are child no more.
I looked into your eyes
till I could not look anymore
because the reflection was too familiar…
I heard stories untold mine & that of sisters
Who opened their hearts, though yet before dawn betrayal
was thrown back into their faces, by those closest.
Looking into those teary eyes
I heard silent cries of young girls who never knew
what it meant to be young and free and loved,
for the only men they knew ripped away the little pieces of joy ,
in acts of proving that they are MEN…
How can we expect them to be fathers,
when they are only men…
driven by desire,
I saw battered women,
with shattered hopes of ever rising beyond limitation,
Because most times she knew he did not meant to lay it so hard on her…
pain became pleasure
I read stories of a thousand other women
Who walked this journey, forged this path, with streams of tears.
Until I came across a story all so familiar
Of a broken hearted girl
Who had bat everything on love,
She who never thought she never good enough
Nor deserving of more
It did not make sense that any man would stick around
For DADDY was never around to see her grow.
She who placed all of self in one basket,
But like JACK, she broke her arm & no one came to her rescue.
I took a close look into those eyes and realized
it was only a reflection of my reality.