ManicDDaily

Our Hearts Bleed (for Nigeria)

In last years, Nigeria has lost
most forests,
but the Sambisa seems a place
of bush as much as tree,
or, at least, thorn.

Traditionally, only elephants,
or others with similarly thick skins,
could traverse it.

Elephants are few
now,

but some trucks seem tough enough,
and too the hides of those who treat people
as things–
those who have been trained in the way
of the cutlass;
though the skin of even strong
young girls
is soft, warm, such
that fingers touching it
should sing.

Boko Haram:
“Western education is
forbidden.”
Only the Western part
is a ruse,
it is education
that is
forbidden–

For things
should not read,
property does not write.
What is to be sold, used, fisted–
tethered to post
and slop pail–
should not have tools
to speak her mind.

The terrorizing
of schools
is a kindness truly–
so, they may say, pulling at their hats
and other parts–
for they are very good
at stopping mouths,
but they do not wish
to have to blind, maim, amputate–
no, they want girls
intact,
young limbs spread dark
as woods’ night shadows,
eyes pooling
stripped bark.

***********************************
A poem of sorts for Abhra Pal’s prompt on trees on dVerse Poets Pub, about the horrific abduction of now more than 230 girls in North-East Nigeria. It is suspected that the girls have taken into the Sambisa Forest, a stronghold of the Boko Haram.

Religion has been misused against women and education for a very long time. But what’s happening in Nigeria right now to both girls and boys pursing education is beyond evil. It’s really beyond what I could write of here–just trying to raise awareness,

The drawing, like most on this blog, is mine. — this post has been edited– the last line– since posting.