She Remains
Her body bears the map of storms,
Etched in stretch marks and softened thighs.
Once, she danced to bata drums …..
Now her hips sway to lullabies,
Cradling a nation in her arms.
She mourns in silence, mouth sealed shut,
Swallowing hurt like bitter herbs.
No one sees the tears she dries
On wrappers soaked in baby spit ….
Still, she wakes before the rooster cries.
Her back, bent like ancestral trees,
Still holds the load of many mouths.
She births, she bleeds, she breaks, she builds …
Braiding hope into cornrows,
Praying strength into their names.
Dem say she don change … skin no dey glow,
But dem nor see wetin she dey carry.
No be only pikin she born
Na courage, na fire, na fight,
She dey walk through life with bare foot pride.
Rooted like baobab in storm,
She bends, but never breaks.
Through baby blues and burial grounds,
She is woman, she is warrior…
She is mother… and she remains.
