a poem by Omobolaji Omidele
dedicated to the fall of tkon
i have become
everything you've asked of me
my hair is coiled
into beautiful roots
i wear bright colors
long skirts
geles
the copper bangles you like
feed the babies vegetables and fruits
i grow with my own hands
and watch us all glow
but you complain
if i cry
deny my reason
if i reveal my heart
i know the stories of our african kings just as you do
i overlook your dismissal of the queens
but whisper their stories to our daughter
no one cries for my deferred dreams
not even me
maybe i need to release those backed up tears
when i hear a beautiful poem
or song
or when you hold me
if you hold me
i cannot help who i am
is there a reason your heart
must remain locked away?
i love your mind
but i also know you have a soul
i glimpsed it when our daughter was born
when our son took his first steps
i'd like to get to know it
but it never emerges for me
because of the struggle
because the people's pain trumps our own
because i can take it
because you're over it
because
because
because
i have become
everything you've asked of me
but you never asked me
to be
myself.
©Omobolaji Omidele 2010 all rights reserved.
Blog: Seat of Bliss
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