Life Through My Eyes

Remember where you come from… Always do! Do you remember that morning when you came to me in tears? Actual tears rolling down your cheeks Please help me I can’t bear this life like this My husband is so abusive I need a job, anything; houses help, cleaner, anything I need to earn to survive this world Just two days passed You popped into my office Looking frail You looked like you hadn’t eaten for days With my meager earnings I fed you I didn’t mind it I would not have remembered all these… But your acts now… Like I am the vilest person on this planet You asked me just two days after your first plea in my house Is there any news for me? No, I will let you know once I hear of anything With both hands on your head You walked away My heart sank looking at you this way Immediately i checked in with everyone I had asked to help out Before the week ended You had a job Money you had never held in one go You lightened up I s...

I have lost a name because I am a refugee. I am addressed by a number. My children don’t matter; did you see where they are going to school? Do you want to be treated in the same health care unit they go to? Would you eat the food you give us? Would you sleep in the open like we do? Would one tarpaulin create a shelter for you? If you gave me 3kg of beans a month, how do you expect me to survive on that? I am nurturing life within me and all I want is to pluck it out of my womb because I see no future for him/her. I don’t want to bring life into a world where I have to watch my baby wither away because I cannot produce enough milk to feed him/her. No future at all. But no, I keep this child and fight on. Life has lost meaning; my body is for every man out there. They kick into the structure I call a house and rape me in front of my children. You think I haven’t reported the incidents? They need proof…How can I report at the moment when I am being torn into. What evidence do you want me...

We arrived at the pool almost an hour earlier than its opening time. I am owed to realise they actually clean the pool every day, thorough cleaning. I go there because the pool looks clean so all that people say swimmers do in the pool kind of slides away with this level of cleaning and the water is well treated. The sunbeds all look clean from the morning bath. I sit under a mango tree as we wait. I am looking at a particular product online and I definitely want to own it in the next fortnight. Man: “Madam Hello, we are contributing something small here” Me: What happened to this guy, I was here a fortnight back and he looked healthy! Why do you have RIP on his picture? (a cut-out box for donations with a picture of someone I just saw recently having a RIP is presented to me) Man: He died last Sunday Me: How, so people just die like that? Are you sure he is dead ( I am still in disbelief) Man: We are picking his body today to take to the village. We are fundraising...

You single-handedly brought me into the world and nurtured me into what I am today. Without you, I would be someone else…You have seen me through my bright and dark days and you are still at it, been there for me during my rebellious period and you never gave up on me. Through thick and thin, we always make an admirable team.  You have seen me through my baby, child, teenage, adulthood and motherhood stage. Held my hands and guided me; and here today you are a grandmother, the best ever to my children.  I crawl in your bed every time I feel low; every moment of my sickness will see me cuddled on your bed and your hands always on my brow, checking on me even in my sleep. Even in my health, I feel most comfortable on your bed, lying on your lap as we chat away always… We fight, yes! Because we are family…How else would we be stronger without such challenges in our lives?  Every day I am up! You make sure I eat and even when out of home, the question comes “have you eaten...

When I spent all night drafting an appealing application Spent another day in an internet café trying to send I did it for me I did it for the money I did it for my family I knew you not I wasn’t applying for you I just wanted to do my job A job I loved Get paid Live a life Leave if the time comes Human resources Keep your hands off me Keep your hatred off me Did you come to frustrate people? If the time has come for you Leave Are you the devil? Do you want to drag us all down? Is that why you signed up for this position You wake up one morning Cook a story and boom I am being served a letter Really? Did you know that when you signed up for this job You needed to be one that accommodates One that nurtures One that mothers and fathers One that keeps secrets One that takes in everyone’s burden One that makes work worthwhile One that balances the boat But nooooo You are everyone’s nightmare Is that why you a...

I am male I was born male I feel female I have the heart of a woman My attitude is that of a woman I feel feminine At 3 I wouldn’t step out of the house if dressed like a boy I would lock myself in the house all day I would cry myself to sleep I felt defied Why am I being treated like a male? Why can’t they see that I am not them? I had to wrap a “lesso” before stepping out That is the comfort I would have when they forced male clothes on me If for some reason this “lesso” was forced off me I would feel stripped off I would feel naked! I have a penis well equipped with balls I have a uterus too! Science tells me they are in perfect condition If a baby is planted in, it will grow normally I have a mound on my chest What you call breasts I am not attracted to male I am not attracted to female My voice is perfectly feminine My shape is a mix of male and female My muscles are well built I would knock you down in a minu...