Sister
Poetry.
She was taught to fear men
Save her body for christ
lest it is broken between men
for communion
It was 1998
The breaking of communion
Something about the way
everyone stood by watching
the woman sprawled on the ground
pregnant and bruised
Her drunk husband’s feet
beating wine from her body
It was the way she screamed
as if the screams fell on deaf ears
or that a woman’s voice could not be heard
in church
No one can explain why
all of a sudden
the earth was made of glue
and their feet were planted
Like seeds that grew roots
and found a little girl watching
Seeing more than the hands
that tried to pull her away could allow
It was the same reason she had nightmares
why she dreamt of her grandmother’s
face broken in many places
from her grandfather’s preaching
or how in spite of
her grandmother would still
Serve him bread
Serve him her body
Serve him her bible
It is 2018
Her grandmother jokes
Ndíraugaga atí ní we ûgatuíka sister
I thought you would become a sister
Kana ûngíenda kûhika?
Or would you rather get married?
Okorûo nií ndí wee
If I was you
ingítuíka sister
I would become a sister
Thanks for reading!! -Florence
