Category : Poems

Sub Category : N/A

Mummy craved not merely wearing the school uniform,
But she desired to befriend the pencil, to write her dreams.
Her heart set to read, to discover more and to reason wide, 
To unearth the mysteries hidden from her ancestors:
About the rationales behind blacks’ primitivity and struggles.

But cursed were her times and unfortunate she was,
When her own fathers halted such dreams:
“Afi, see how that soup boils, for you’ll soon marry!”
“At 16, you’re a woman; old Alhaji can’t wait…” 
And that’s the reality but no saviour, nowhere to flee.
And those girls were sold into abominable marriages, 
To ringed men that aged trice or more than the girls. 
Behold, those girls never did see the classroom block,
And their dreams shattered and fell behind the clock. 

And the Alhajis came with the valuables: gold, cowries…
Their sweet words lured the most hard-headed goddess 
And the parents felt safe and showered all their blessings
Later, the latter’s daughters got there and O’ Christ!

Today, I’m grateful those terrible days have said the byes
And I imprecate they come no more, I cast my only dice
And whoever fought and perhaps shed his blood, 
And removed such a stumbling block, I say I’m glad,
I say, may you rest in the bosom of our Almighty Dad.

“O’ Lord, give her strength.”, mummy prays
“My daughter, keep the promise, run hard!”, she counsels 
And having received all the tools she was denied,
I vow I’ll hit hard on the books and dry her tears


Now I pray silently, “O’ Lord, give me strength.”
To face it all, wrestle through and bring victory home.
To tell her that the dreams she desired but was shielded from, 
Are much alive and being pursued by her own blood,
For she’s got a strong daughter, who’s capable


With a master’s degree here, a doctorate there, I live on
But the value accrued is what my whims treasure
And that’s exactly my concern and there’s no other
And I pray again but aloud “O’ Lord, give me strength!”