Father wants my elder sister
To forget the blackboard
And warm his old friend’s bed
As his seventh wife:
An old man’s veal for his old teeth
At 13, she is not young!
Because she is female
And they grow faster
Than genetically modified chicken.
She must marry the old man
Not the love of her youth
She must get father out of poverty
For the pot-bellied grey-haired man
Stinks of wealth.
No choice: her fate is sealed
For father thinks females have no choice
Except the male option.
Mother must be quiet
Lest her mouth is shut up
Because she is female.
Our local council chairperson
Won’t stand in the old man’s
Way to happiness
For the leader’s mouth is
Stuffed with bread
And he is a man.
The old man’s huge offertory in mind
The reverend will wed the duo
Declare the marriage God’s will
And ask my sister to submit to
Mzee – our grandpa’s age mate –
Even at the hour of her first rape
Till death puts the couple asunder
The world without end
Amen!
About the Poet
Samuel Kamugisha is a Ugandan journalist, poet and fiction writer. A Journalism and Communication graduate, his poetry and short stories are inspired by his work as a journalist and as an observer of events in his country.
Kamugisha’s poem, ‘The Honourable Weevil,’ was published in Wondering and Wondering of Hearts: A Collection of Poems from Uganda, while his two poems, ‘Flying Papers’ and ‘Priorities’ were long listed for the 2016 Babishai Niwe Poetry Award.
His other prose and poetry have been published by Brittle Paper, Parousia Magazine, DwartOnline, Praxis Magazine, and Africa Crayons, among other places. You can read more of Samuel Kamugisha’s journalism, prose and poetry work on pearltimes.co.ug.
You can also read Painting Soulless Kampala, Priorities, The Stream and Not Just a Number Here, There, Over Here, and Over There.
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