Gender Fair

GENDER FAIR

The gender war’s as old as man

Crushing and relentless on tender souls

Willing, caring and loving hands

Missing links in creative over-drive

Dangling on exclusion precipice

Victim of serial rapes

Political estrangement

Married to economic marginalization

And social isolation

Have divorced her of rights

Promises of change ride each other

In quick succession of cacophonies

Discordant notes to eager ears

Expectant of soulful music

In an unending symphonies of reversals

Let’s pause for a second

And reflect on the essences

As we march to the eight day

In annualized fair

Woman

   WOMAN

She held tightly the hoe on the right

While the left adjusted the baby on the back

As her calloused foot navigate the tortuous road

To the distant farm

Where she must toil and sweat

To put garri and yam on the table

Her partner overtaken by depression

Idles away in mama Ngozi spot

Waiting for never coming friend for a cup of ogogoro

A potent synergy for hunger and despair

Which have castrated the land

Wars and melt downs have sown several seeds

Economic exodus from the textiles

Political killings and assassinations

Social dislocations and divorces

The culture of rapes and crimes

And red bottom lines

Role reversal has put women in the firing line

Making bed, winning bread, giving love

Have pushed her harder to the earth

She has changed irreversibly

Confronting many demons at the same time