#ijeoma umebinyuo

you must bring your daughter to church
the devil used her to tempt her uncle
it is the devil that has possessed her
fourteen year old body.

when she tells you she hurts,
scold her for tempting men
make her feel ashamed of her body
you must bring her to church
for deliverance.

when she is seventeen
and the boys enter her room
she does not go to you
the next day, your daughter
washes her body
and sits in class.

the day she sat on the couch
somewhere in London
screaming at the therapist
begging for help
she never mentions it to you.

when she is twenty-three
standing
with a degree in her hand
and an eye full of pain
between you and that uncle
she does not smile.

your daughters sat down
sharing secrets of pain
one after the other
revealing a timeline
of secrets.

they are not silent
like their mothers
and they sit, holding their heart
curing their pain with love.

your daughter is twenty-five
she called me
begging me to make the darkness
go away. go away. go away.
go away. go away. go away.

your daughter is thirty
you begged her to make you
a proud mother
so she married him
broken heart and broken ribs
two miscarriages later.

the days she says “no”
he yells ownership of her body
and she lets him.
and she lets him.
and she lets him?

but, remember
your daughter was fourteen
and you begged her
and you begged her
to learn the language of silence.

-Ijeoma Umebinyuo