They call us greedy, but aren’t we all?
Yes, we are always greedy because we hunger for justice to prevail in our country Our blood runs cold every morning at the cover page of the newspaper,
Another child is in the hospital treating emotional scars,
Scars that only she can detect in the darkroom.
We have plunged into black holes, I agree
But that doesn’t make us pathetic, you see
The way we speak redemption in our broken souls,
It turns our traumatic experiences into healing.
We are healing from the backlash of our fathers’ crimes,
Realizing that we are like priceless pearls in God’s eyes,
Never allowing society to tear down the strength,
That’s running through our veins.
Rape has entered our homes, leaving emotional scars in his way
I suggest a Camelot death for the mentally unstable uncles at the end of the streets
Who have turned our little girls into preys
Because they have holes between their thighs.
They say education is the key to success
But our degrees have been rendered useless by our fathers who are refusing to step down from the pockets of corruption,
And let us reign transparently.
A fun fact: my generation has the worst definition of truth but that’s okay.
We are learning how to turn “I am doing good” into “the pain cracks my bones so hard, I can’t breathe,”
It’s a process and we’ll get there.
So to the youths who are in a dark place and healing, we respect you!
To the girls who walk with their heads held high, we salute you!
To the girls being told by society that they are not enough, you are enough!
To the boys being told by society to “take it like a man,” you don’t have to.
Authored by: Lauretta B. Cisse
Featured Image by: Photo by Avel Chuklanovon Unsplash