I am me

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 minute

What am i?

What do you want me to be?

I am a concoction of God’s creation

A little bit of everything was added on me

I feel strongly feminine

When I put on my dresses and skirts

Plait my hair

The fingers pointing at me drive straight to my heart

You hit me

Kick me

Beat me

I am feminine

I get arrested every time someone doubts my gender

They take me in

Immediately check my genitalia

Beat me like that act will end their poverty

Like it would eat away their belly fat that is affecting their marriages

My father left my mother because of me

She understood me

She saw through me

She protected me from the harsh society

God didn’t let her stay long

Death took her away

She hadn’t taught me how to fend for myself

The cruel world immediately started stabbing at every part of me

Do I harm you for finding myself created like this?

Have I hurt you people in any way for being what I am?

Why can’t you understand me?

Do you want me dead before you can sit back in your compound?

Do you lose sleep from having more oxygen enter me?

Do you feel unaccomplished when I walk the streets?

Do you think I would ask to be created like this?

I am just another human

Can you not focus on my gender?

Can you see the other side of me?

What I can add to our community

I long to fit in this world

Let me fit into this world

Embrace me the way I am

Through the eyes of Joanita Ayenyo