African Woman's Poetry

Monday, September 15, 2025

CONVERSATIONS

Conversations will endure

Conversations by women of women with women

Women who have endured through the ages

Women who have borne the pain

of seeing their men demeaned and brought down on their knees

Conversations that tell of the truth

That dull ache inside that wants to make it better

Women endure

Through all this, they smile

Have faith

Give thanks and praises

With open arms wipe away tears

comforting

Gathering around the kitchen

The conversations speak of good times

Of funny incidents

Of the joy of a newborn

Of marriage

Of death

Sweet aroma of cakes whiff out of the windows

While the rest of the family join in one by one

The young hang around listening to the conversations

Of the old

Of the wise

Of the women

The stories remain ingrained in their minds

To be told to their children

That is how history

The stories and memories of families

Get handed down to always re-appear

Never to disappear

Written for the Hawaii to West Africa Poetry Exchange- Sisters Across Oceans

The Untold

The untold stories

Love that makes the heart flutter

Reasoning- out of ones reach

All the dreams which we see as truth kept us incomplete

Love opens up the window of your soul

Life becomes a mystery with clues coming from the heart

It's with love that we speak the truth

We become complete when love is returned

Therein lies the victory

When lovers become entwined with each other

When the touch sends sparks and shivers

When lips quiver and eyes speak the truth

Then the untold stories become clear for all to see

You cannot hide true love just like a lamp cannot be hidden under a basket

It must ooze out of pores

Like the flickers of light that escape from that upturned basket.

Love, you conquered and gave the world the victory sign

Love conquers all

Pictures rights Bernard@boda-design.com

EFUA

IN MEMORY OF OUR BELOVED MOTHER EFUA KURANKYIWA TAYLOR

My Mother,

Efua,

Friday born,

Sitting in the park with children, grand-children, nephews, nieces laying around on the green grass.

A picnic - the calling of her clan.

Mum, Famama, the grandchildren called her.

Famama walking with her third leg,

Her single silver walking stick,

Her body swaying to the music in the park.

Sounds of her chopping and blending dried herbs and greens to be eaten or made into creams for both body and hair.

The scents, her favourites,

Lavender, Geranium, Tea Tree Oil, Patchouli

Amber incense sticks sending whiffs of smoke when a breeze billowed through the house.

Famama was bouncy, soft, full of laughter, cuddly

An Actress, a fighter for Black physically challenged in London.

A Tony Robbins Firewalker

A motivator She always had open arms

Like a mother hen, kept us safe.

REST IN PEACE FAMAMA 1938-2018

Tuesday, March 8, 2022

The Daughter

credit picture: www.thagfoundation.org

You were already born when I met you

Had spent four years not knowing you

But when I fell in love with your mother

I took you into my heart like my own daughter

Through the years that you grew up

No one knew you were for another

You had no idea because you weren’t told

There was no need to worry your head

With things that were for when you were old

There was nothing you ever needed

From parents day to birthday parties

I played my role with all my heart

To make sure you never felt unloved

And it was a pleasure to watch you grow

From a little girl with braided hair

To a young woman lovely and fair

Suddenly a day came

When your mother forgot all that I had done

Turned you against me because I dared to question

The plans and decisions you both had made

Forgetting that I was there all the way

You treated me with contempt when things were tough

But still I waited to make sure

That the plans I had for you matured

And you could stand on your own two feet as a woman

Now I am just another person in your life

To be used and discarded like a rag

But God knows I did my best

To make sure you had nothing but the best

One day you’ll sit and wonder

When you find out that I am not your real father

That the love and care I had for you was genuine

Because I loved both you and your mother

And you were part of her, my little treasure

The pain in my heart will go away in time

And I know you will not find another

To care for you like a father

Because the one you may go looking for

Would not have the memories that I have of you

Going back to when you were four

A Beating for Love

Photo by Sydney Sims on Unsplash

A beating for love

Your fist pounded my face

In shock I stood there

Not moving, not screaming

The first time it happened

You said you beat me because you loved me.

You put the blame on me

I don’t remember doing wrong

Your gambling and drinking

Your womanising and flirting

Your problems and woes

Were all my fault

And you said you beat me because you loved me

I asked you why you did this

“You made me do it “you said

“I love you, that’s why I beat you”

I never knew love was like this

Maybe no one ever told me.

I thought love was loving and caring,

Laughter and happiness

Not this—a beating for love

I grew old in my heart

My love turned to fear and hate

I lived only in dread of that fist in my face

Why didn’t I go, why?

Because I loved you

And you said you loved me that’s why you beat me.

I cried myself to sleep, silently

So you wouldn’t hear in case I got another fist in my face.

Is this love?

A fist in the face

I must have dreamt the other love

The movie star love

The storybook love

The pure clean love

What have I done to deserve this?

This angry fist in my face.

The hand that beats me caresses me

I can’t move away

Can’t say what’s in my heart,

No one must know my shame

I lay there beaten inside, dead inside, hating inside, dying inside

Holding on to you- not in love but in fear

While dreading the morning because I’ll get another fist in my face

And you’ll whisper between the kisses, I beat you because I love you.