THEY HAVE ONLY ONE CHILDHOOD, LET IT COUNT
You start having sleepless nights
“ My responsibilities are now heavy cross
I refuse to suffer alone
I need extra hands"
These thoughts begins to gain grounds
What were you thinking during conception?
She will say:
“ My husband will not let me be”
But you opened those legs?
And he will say:
“The strength of a man
Is measured by the number of children he has"
Myopic
Then these creatures are born
Not to a friendly world
Equally not to a loving home
Born to carry their own cross
After all
“When they suffer,
They will know how to spend money wisely"
Ignorance
Illiteracy
Foolishly they are sent out
To be devoured by
"Hoodlums
Wolves
Peepholes"
They begin to adapt
With their innocent eye’s,
They capture obscene scenarios,
They witness epic violence
The onus to survive
They never seem to taste the four walls of a school
Good food are tasted one’s in a blue moon
The taste of meatballs
Just little
Makes them want more
Oliver Twist
Under the scorching sun,
They are forced to compete
With the real world
The struggle for survive
Is real
Then those "uncle's"
Come
“Fine baby
Sweet
Beautiful"
She’s shy
As innocent as she looks,
She trusts so much
That “uncle”
Buys her a plate of food
Buys her ear rings,
Ice cream
Mhmmmmm
Gradually
She begins to confide in him
She tells he her dreams
Her family situation
She professes her love for him
He gains the better part of her
Boom
It happened so fast!
Those clothes were ripped out!
Her panties
Went down!
Shy
He promised her
Heaven and Earth
Innocence
He moves inside of her
Takes her virginity
Argh
The taste of it
That pleasure
She craves for more
She comes for more
Sent to the Market,
She sneaks
To get just one chunk
Mother and father
They can’t find out?
Questions aren’t asked
She sells so fast
She’s supportive
Sells very fast with profit
They seem to be blinded by money
She begins to rot
Her brother begins to have friends
Big boys
You know
They tell him of a better life
One without stress
They tell him
They rich are “wicked and Selfish”
He begins to get peanut
He kills!
That taste of human blood
It’s aroma
That site of real blood
Makes him proud
And it’s normal to kill
No conscience
He wants to belong
Then they go for the rich
“Cozy beds
Dinning tables
Toy’s
Love”
They have never experienced such
They kill
Out of bitterness
Hatred
Greed
She becomes pregnant!
A child with a child!
Her lover has fled!
She keeps the baby
She continues in the footsteps of her parents
No plans for a better life
No future
No ambitions
Waste
Her brother is caught
Although he pleads for mercy.
Beaten to a stupor
He’s burnt on a steak
Jungle Justice
He can’t rewrite his wrong
Another scape goat
Another criminal
Lessons aren’t learnt
More are sent like ashes blown by the wind
Scattered
They take the role of Parenthood
At that tender age
They work
Sweat
Hustle
They are made strong.
Disappointed
Few vow to make a difference
Very few
Are made wise
Even with the influence of the hash society
Their childhood is ruined
Rooming around the highway
Shouting
Running
Some have been knocked down
Some kidnapped
They beg
To help their mum
Hitting hard on car windows,
They cry
With their memorized anthem
They recite in melancholy
“Help, help”
With heavy tray
Carrying loads
Seeing movies at film shops
Admiring flashy cars
They stop to count those cars
Some even claim own
Looking tattered and unkempt
Famished
Dirty
They trek long distance
With lifeless slippers
They struggle hard
They want to survive
In the jungle,
All man for him self!
Written by
Odoh Priscilla
Tags:
African child
Children
Lifestyle
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THEY HAVE ONLY ONE CHILDHOOD LET IT COUNT