By Adebowale Oluwaseun Opeyemi
“Fine babe, pretty girl.”
You hail her
She feigns deafness,
Clutches her bag tightly to her chest,
Walks as fast as her legs could carry her.
“Babe, I love you. Just give me one chance.”
You say to her.
“No, thank you. I’m not interested.”
She refuses.
She changes her path home;
She takes the pain to walk the longer path
Because of you
She avoids the street like a plague
She walks in fear, her security uncertain
Because of you.
You trailed her,
She became your pawn.
Her ‘NO’ was a No for you.
You wanted her,
You wanted her body,
She was an object of use to you.
Without weighing the odds,
The repercussions,
The indelible scars she would be subjected to,
The many sleepless nights she would sustain,
The many times she would cry herself to sleep,
The many deaths she would die every second.
You couldn’t care less
Your emotions clouded your innocence
Your drive was in full swing
Your demon was unleashed.
You attacked her
You attacked her territory
You attacked her safe haven
You pinned her down,
Shoved her mouth with your wet handkerchief
Tore apart the gate to her palace.
You rolled your eyes
Sticked out your tongue
As you beheld
The same path
Through which
You were born
The same path
That will now be subject
To your brutality.
You pounced on her
Like a hungry lion
You devoured her.
With every thrusting
You shredded her to pieces
And burnt her bridges.
To your satisfaction
To her pain and shame.
Her tears, a charade to you
Her pleas like clanging cymbals
Her pain, your entertainment.
You found out
She was a virgin
You defiled her
Your heart rejoiced even more.
You could boast to your friends
You could narrate to them
How perturbed and helpless she looked
How she winced, shrieked and jerked
As she pleaded and wailed
To get her freedom back.
You spat at her face
After your hunger
For pleasure was fulfilled.
She wept.
She cried.
She cursed.
But it could not be undone.
She pinched herself
Till her arms grew sore
Just in case
It was one of her
Many bad dreams.
But it was true
It was real
The deed had been done.
“I’m ruined.”
She weeps.
She stares hard at the bottle
She swallows hard.
“Death is better.”
She consoles herself.
She gulps down the content
The burning sensation on her tongue
Was supposed to repel her
Instead she drank more
And then more
Till she exhausted the liquid.
The burning sensation
Could not be compared;
To the pain
The anguish
The self-guilt
The tormenting nightmares
The suicidal thoughts
She nursed
On a daily basis.
She gave up on living
She said ‘Yes’
To the world beyond.
Because of you
Because of your untamed urge
Because of your ferocious desires.
A daughter
A sister
A friend
A colleague
A wife
A mother
A nation
A generation.
Now in the cold hands of death
Wiped away
Because of You.
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