Catherine Magodo Mutukwa
She
said
You
do not understand
the
kind of devastation that echoes through the body of a woman who has been
shattered after exploding and is in the
process of disintegrating within herself...
And
The
burden of carrying a tired soul which seems permanently heavy
Riddled
with holes from fiery bullets
Of
untold betrayal and hardened hate
Inflicted
by an assault-rifle of a secret
War
ruthlessly triggered by a MAN born of a WOMAN,
Because
I
am a WOMAN born of a WOMAN
I
thought if I spoke less
I
thought if I folded myself more
Enough
to fit into his mound,
He
would stop...
But
He
tore me off from his flesh as if I were a dead limb slowing him down serving no
purpose
For
many nights, I lay still in the cold
Trenches
of my mind thinking the world had ended and began without me so that I could
survive a barrage
Of
hurtful words hailed my way before boring through to my core...
I
said
Let
me gather you in my arms
Let
the gentleness of my words embrace you as you inhale and then
Exhale
Allow
the sound of my writing to soothe where it is hurting
Ahh!
You want to die for a man who
Leaves
you drowning in sorrow while
He
unapologetically pursues a new
Fling?
It
is a lie that you will not break if you
Keep
bending backwards for a man who takes you for granted
You've
been taught to hide your emotions behind silence and this they
said
is 'womanly'
What
barbarism!
To
the woman who has fought long and hard and is tired now...
to
the woman who has loved and lost,
A
hero’s welcome awaits you!
We
will understand when you begin to
unwrap
stories of the conflict that left
you
torn,
We
will be patient while you sew the holes in your soul so you can grow a
thick
skin to avoid being hurt again
by
a man who destroys your peace and leaves you wondering why you aren't
enough....
©
Catherine Magodo-Mutukwa – is an award-winning Zimbabwean poet based in South
Africa. There is more on her Facebook page (Catherine Magodo-Mutukwa
Poet/Author).
