Venice masks

Thursday, 18 March 2021

Reading Flyers - Mtendere Alice Kishindo

I demand,
Not ask,
I seek,
Yet, denied all that I find.

I am not small,
Neither fragile nor coy,
I am in the front line,
Feral protecting mine,
I demand,
Not ask,
Only because I am mistaken,
For lack of a better term…

Varied genes lost in translation?
Is it nurture vs. nature?
That I blame your mother,
Villain you have become,
The father of diverse seeds planted,
Embedded with psychosocial issues,
Only you could control,
I demand, yet, for them I have to ask;
To make peace between us

I demand you stay in my bed;
Stop wandering aimlessly in others,
In other people’s homes,
You chase the thrill of getting caught,
Or is it drinking from the fountain of youth you seek?
A whisper said, ‘to rejuvenate your waning ‘love’
    Your mind evokes pointed breasts,
As mine wave at my oblong valley below,
You stray,
Looking,
No, I demand and not ask,
That you do by me what you vowed,
I expect no less.

I demand and not ask,
As my mother drags us through,
Another one of your riots,
That you lay your hands off her,
I do not want to see,
As my mother conceals pain with powder;
That my uncle’s and cousin’s,
Do not find me prey,
That the senseless street vendors do not take my rebellion;
As a sign of vulnerability,
That they undress me publicly,
Shame me,
For I am proud, of who I represent

I demand and not ask
Not;
Not to be traditionally mutilated or socially labeled,
For what is natural to me;
My hair, my skin, my ass, my teeth; am I single?
My education is not my pitfall,
Why would you make one feel so?
And yet you bask in your accolades!
I demand you know,
That we are all prototypes,
Get over your ego!

I demand that you do not marginalize me,
With sugar coated policies,
Sat comfortably in conference chairs amongst your kind,
Chuckling at jokes about that strong headed woman,
Woman!
I am, I own it!
Are you aware of who you are?

I demand not ask
That you take interest
Listen and do not judge. 

Mtendere Alice Kishindo (21st century) Malawi

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