That Nigerian Girl

Compromises and heart beats Flared emotions and soft spoken words Silver tears and Red roses Broken promises and mended hopes There's two sides to every story Two sides of the coin Black and white a maybe, Shades of grey a possibility.  We see what does not exist  Unfazed and oblivious to reality We choose what we hear and see Not necessarily what we know  Live life and love Existing could be a lot easier  Or not... Who I am I accept  Who am not I refuse to regret This is my choice To live above the noise If I must fail to sail Am no longer afraid. Expectations and choices I didn't choose to be human 

There is beauty in each one of us Beyond the perspective of the beholder It needs no validation to exist Are we pressured to be on 'fleek' All for the selfie stick Or we avoid it to look meek Truth is, hair length would vary Height and weight as well This is not a competition Beauty is fierce She is bold in her difference Made of her own unique substance I miss the days When no one cared about my brows When I didn't pay attention to my legs There is no standard of perfect You are flawless And we slay regardless We are the definition Of beauty and all she is Each one of us.

Look through the past And maybe we can forecast The unpredictable days of the future, Tyrants past and decades of anger later We must decide Young boy..young blood I admire your courage with a smirk To the last drop of your blood Is a sorrow unbearable after the first draw The elders have refused to take away the blinds Or tie us back with the rope that binds They inherited lands green and fields white We received lands red and rivers black Old man...old fool You poisoned with your words And sent souls to graves with your deeds, I was told you can see what I can't, even on a palm Lost sight or deliberately ignoring the fight? You have created an Abaddon From greed, corruption and injustice Who knows not the creator or the subjects "Young people's energy and  wisdom of the elders" Seems not enough to stir a nation against these waves Foundations have to replaced. Love and unity have to be embedded in actions Resp...

I saw the beast  A s I squeezed my eyes shut And prayed silently for the millionth time That I was in a nightmare. They said he was a male of my kind Made me doubt myself for a moment, For I am a kind...of white wings and halos. I picked up what I had left..clawed and in shreds The blood I touched was mine, I realized. They said it was my fault I shouldn't have worn my pretty red dress, It showed too much of my femininity. Shouldn't have walked alone They forgot about my crushed soul Chose not to remember, Demons had no place where angels walked. My pink fortress had been raided And I was left with nothing But myself and determination, To heal and rebuild my Queendom. When justice was denied me, With my sore hands and weak feet I polished my diamonds and sparkled again, For a diamond can barely be broken Nor a Queen conquered.

I knew her story before it was told I saw her Bouncing up and down, itching to play A beautiful little girl Tugging and pulling 'Let me out' she says Full of energy no one could contain. I saw her She rushed past Beautiful young lady I couldn't believe she grew so fast Yet another interview She had to get a yes this time. I saw her How could I not recognize that smile Beautiful woman Haggling with the plantain seller Carrying her little girl on her back Whispering 'everything is going to be okay' I was too caught up...I didn't see Everything happened in a blur I didn't see her fears and confusion Or get a whiff of the tension Didn't hear the abusive words I am most sorry I should have looked more closely What happened to all that energy...bouncy little girl? Beyond her perfect smile I didn't see the tear stained cheeks Covered carefully with layers of powder Or the finger prints...covered perfectly with her hair. I s...

Mother taught me to love I learnt not only from her words but her actions She took strangers beneath her warmth Smiled and called them family, no retraction You remind me of mother For I could see in you that ebony, curvy, curly black perfection God truly never made a mistake at creation I wonder if you were ever taunted for it, like she was In a heartbeat I called you sister And so when I stepped into your home I had no need to fear I trusted you like sister to sister Amazed at what you had accomplished I stood in awe of your beauty Perfection seemed to you an ordinary feat. Mother would be truly proud. But something has changed Your eyes no longer shine with love You extend your hand not with care, but rage When you speak about me Your words are filled with disdain Drums that once beat to our unity Have been replaced with disunity I woke up to strange faces looking down at me I could not understand what I had done wrong Woul...

"Madam you need to be present at her school, your daughter is insolent". I can still remember those words. On another occasion mother came, She asked that I apologize, I stared at her and shook my head..."no". "You act like you're high class". I can remember a friend say. I am most ashamed now, Of the way I lowered my chin and walked away. "I don't like the way you walk with your shoulders raised up". Right now I could smack myself, for I found myself later, Walking with my head down, eyes focused on the ground. "You laugh too loud and deep" or was it..."you laugh too much and it's weird". I should laugh now, at the way her face was twisted in disgust. They never understand. "she too dey do sef". I heard their whispers,  I want to scream at myself, for being mute and wishing I wasn't the best. After all, other people could do it as well. I have heard s...