For Girls of Tomorrow

I we’ve built you bridges that will lead you to tomorrow the pieces of these skimpy mind of yours has been repaired down in the sea of knowledge have we made roses for you love at large and familiar beat of the heart shall follow. let no tradition deceive you to core inanity and foolishness marry where you found love and care… the pound of this land is in between your fingers we’ve tasted this daylight of beauty we’ve loved this timeless base of favor retiring this images that stand in our eyes. our village was made for the protection of your kind our loins are the pictures that harbors your libation, your mothers have rendered their tomorrow for you your fathers have sacrificed their today to keep you they will bear whatever that comes on your way in love and tears in joy and agony in understanding not of lost and lawlessness you’ll get there Africa awaits you on the other side. II Flora Nwapa will not suck these memories away she made a perfect shy woman among her kind even when the forest of Abba could not hold down Kainene she taught all women to wear the thought of their mothers. Innu Ego would return to mind with glass full of thought Buchi Emecheta planted her lips on the night wind. “men are scarce” like they said in absence of their lips learn to keep your right hand abreast of the moon Chimamanda Adichie knitted to her father’s name make your names dangle to the song of another man Like the kite dangling to the wind song of hope. learn to throw yourself to the world craftily We have failed yesterday not to protect our husbands modernity has come to bring those glamour old days robbed us Use these as big dreams to paint and plant honour You’re the last of the strongest Birthed in the house of symbols generation of heroines How you carve your names on the sand tower Tells how indeed you were made. III darkness we must beat down with torchlight in this sand of time rotten men wear white linen to deceive women to their web of cruelty the skin of the body has generated your names don’t float in the windpipe for men who beat and bark find comfort in your growing muse till this world ends switch places and find grains of purity somewhere else better land than those we entrenched here for you forgive any step we may have over taken before you came we were overwhelmed when ancient days emerged in our feet solitude never thought they could live where we lived we’ve built you bridges that will lead you to tomorrow the pieces of these skimpy mind of yours has been repaired down in the sea of knowledge have we made roses for you love at large and familiar beat of the heart shall follow. Yours Poetically, © John Chizoba Vincent