She stopped frequenting the stream of her youth
On market days
Her space was vacant among women
At noon, she took cover from hot sun
An imbecile spirit might be lurking the street
Her protruding belly is her burden to bear alone
Alani, her husband
Kept boasting to drunk friends
“My son is on his way into this world”
One night the sky roared with rain
She laid on a mat
Gasping between life and death
Blood flooded, tears flowed
Anguishing pain pounded her
Then with one faint sigh
A healthy child was born
No one touched the little thing
Disappointment shone on all expecting faces
When Alani asked what sex it was
"A girl again" came the answer
He hurried out of the room angry and brokenhearted
The exhausted mother pulled her untended baby closer
Both unwashed in maternity blood
She whispered without much strength
"Live my child, live well"
Dropping her baby in silence
She pull back her head towards the mat
And breath her last
© Olatuja Oloyede
Olatuja Oloyede
Beyond the flawless facade is a boy on the path of self-discovery.
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