Read Poem: Beloved Daughter by Fikayo Balogun

It was a summer evening
the breeze turned leaves
into jellyfishes
ran across grasses
and I crushed blades
beneath my feet
on my way to find love.

Love pulled me
by my crown
pinned my face
to the rocky scales
of the baobab tree
and yanked my skirt away
Ice wind rushed between my legs
flushed
my will, my freedom
through my mouth
with every scream
of
NO!
Don’t!
Please!

He slammed away
till he released his poison
inside of me
its toxic glow
exploded through my veins
till my heart
became still.

Crushed berries
was my bed
dead leaves hugged
my naked body
I could feel
the sting
of a thousand bees
between my legs
as the earth soaked up
the slimy liquid
dripping from my core.

“You woke the sleeping dragon with your giggle, love,” he said
I wanted to scream
“Don’t tell me it’s my fault that your mind is a sink hole”
I came to find love
No one warned me that men had become wolves devouring
every beating heart
No one sent me a memo, or was it lost in the mail
like my soul
I wanted to scream, but my cords
had lost the will for words
I watched him
zip up the murder weapon. He laughed
his laughter flew ahead of his thirsty boots
as he beat a path away
from my bartered soul
I died that summer evening.

My headstone read
“Beloved daughter, she loved berries”
I was buried deep
on a wasted land
with no berry tree
the priest said
I died an unholy death, like
it was my fault
that no one saw that
I died, long before
I became dead.

The world asked me to speak,
I said
Words are
dogs without bites
bees without stings
kings without crowns
Words can’t describe
the injustice
that has been dealt
to my very soul
Words would buy you justice,
they said
I told them, I come
from a line of novelty
a city of
virgin maidens, frail fairies,
white hills and red mountains.
A vast land of
berries graced upon by
things
scarce and pure like
unicorns
But what has been taken from me
is my life with my soul
ripped from its root
I have disappeared
into oblivion
Words
can not.
bring me back.