Poetryzine magazine presents the poems by the Nigerian poet Ngozi Olivia Osuoha
The African girl My flat soles don't flatten my soul At least I am five feet' nine My casual wears don't commonize my person Sure, I am one worldwide, My small breasts don't bottle my mind I am a phenomenon! Hear my rough face tell gorgeous a fortune See my unkempt hair wave loudly to glory, Hear my short nails call the worlds to order See my black eyes so glitter like gold Hear my cute nose breathe dazzling diamonds See my long legs step proudly on thorns, This African girl, O nature is you! I need no knife to boost my beauty Need I no chemical to change my skin, Hey! see how cosmetics flatter me But watch my bums rock and roll in harmony Feel my straight arms flagging wonders untold And my big ears spread wide apart, This African girl, O nature is you! Of nipples that are pointers, we wrap Of breasts that are compasses, we guard We neither ensnare nor anyone enslave Because If nudity was a calling, we would have you endangered! I am slim, a model by nature A perfect art of divinity But if I got chubby in the future Still wait for it, my audacity. The orchestra is me, the melody is me I am the chemistry; undiluted I am the gallery, unadulterated The exhibition is me, black and blunt! You are the content and the container You are contented and concentrated You are the contest and the quest, You are so pure and so raw O The African Girl! Don't feel inferior, dance pass the exterior Draw from within and decorate your interior Fly high above, nature abounds in you, Phenomenal girl, the goddess of beauty. Cameras take bribe, mirrors are corrupt Shadows are dark, echoes distort Yet I have a dream, a dream so clear That someday the paparazzi shall arise, With courage and effrontery to witness my beauty, This girl shall set cameras ablaze And burn mirrors into ashes! Piercings are fierce, so they hurt me Stories could be written not just tattoos Scars could be stars even taboos, So dear African girl, nature is you! If nudity was a calling, I would intimidate Adam If nudity was a calling, I would rubbish Eve, A principality, a power A force, a creator, I rule my world! Remember I am a poet, I don't pity words This African girl is nature, beware!
Black child They call you coloured, as though they are colourless And tag you awkward and still hinder your forward, They compel you wayward and compact you untoward Black child, the world is so wide, yet wants you wild! The sea wants to drown you so be no fish, for fish is edible and profitable Rather be the tide, the current and the storm Be the mermaid, and rule the sea! Black child, the fire wants to raze you So be not the coal for coal is combustible, Instead be the flame, the hotness, and the degree Be not inflammable! The wind wants to uproot you Be the earth, the land and the forces! The world doesn't like your skin So she can throw you into the bin Just to get the tiniest tin Or drink the harshest gin And still label you a sin, If that could make her win Or puncture you with a pin. Black child, you are not gold Let no one have you sold, Though you live in a nest You can be the best. You are never the worst Let no one; your head burst! Black child, you are not a monkey Do not be laboured like a donkey Though you live in a cave You are not a slave, And never you be a pest Though they put you to test. Your breastmilk is sweeter than honey Let none syphon it with money, Your balls are stronger than rocks Let none crush them with blocks Nor cage them with padlocks, for there is your life! Black child, the world is dark But you can make a mark! Yes, your skin is black But there is no nature you lack! Your skin is beautiful and wonderful Even the rainbow is not that colourful, Black child, walk with your shoulders high For no human is more human than you!
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