Cheap perfume
Six-inch heels
Skin-tight pants
Civilised girl
Steel-wool hair
Fuzzy and stiff
Now soft as coconut husk
Held by a dozen clips
Charcoal-black skin
Painted red
Bushy eyebrows
Plucked and penciled
Who am I?
Melanesian Caucasian or
Half-caste?
Make up your mind
Where am I going -
Forward, backward, still?
What do I call myself -
Mrs Miss or Ms?
Why do I do this?
Imitation
What's wrong with it?
Civilisation
Jully Makini (also Jully Sipolo) (born 1953) Solomon Islands
Source: BBC Radio Scotland
Thank you for this find.
ReplyDeletei am a student and we are now studying the poem... i found so much in the poem, and i am really looking forward in writing a poem like this of my own to be used in schools..
ReplyDeleteGood luck with that joemae... I hope you also enjoy studying the poem, which I agree has a lot in it
DeleteTone of the poem
DeleteBy Reading this poem gives me more understanding on how to write a poem.
ReplyDeleteI really like this poem cos it motivates me to write more poem like this in the future
ReplyDeleteLove this poem.
ReplyDeletethis poem made me feel bad when i was in a high school, especially the steel wool and everything that is backstabbing in it. but i love it!!!
ReplyDeleteThis poem has a deep meaning in it that portray what we see become common in our societies today.
ReplyDeleteCan u explain the meaning to me please
DeleteCan you explain the meaning to me please
DeleteI love this poem🔥
ReplyDeleteI like this poem
ReplyDeleteI love this poem it gives a flame🔥
ReplyDeleteGreat poem from a great auther.
ReplyDeletesummary anfd usage of poetic devices
ReplyDelete