Poetry isn’t really for everybody, but when really relating to words; Kemi does the job!
Backbone
He said he likes a woman with a backbone
He said he likes me…
He likes me because I have a strong backbone,
But little did he know,
That this back had been broken many times before,
And the invisible brace I wore,
Could no longer support,
This pains galore,
And furthermore,
The burden that slithers up my spine and makes me bend as if I have Scoliosis,
Was too chronic for it to be realigned.
To the outside world my backbone was fine,
I could deal with the bullshit when the male ego made them step out of line,
But my back was running out of time,
it could no longer bend and if it broke one more time,
That would be it.
This facade of an upright strong back, and the fluid filled disc between every bone allowing me to mould myself and change shape to cater to him I could no longer endure,
This was the final straw,
A broken heart was one thing but another broken back?
I can’t live like that anymore,
So I asked him “are you sure”?
This “strong backbone” you see cannot afford,
To allow the false dreams you sell to make her sway,
So everything must be secure.
When you see me stand tall or sit up straight,
Do not let my posture fool you,
I am a strong woman,
But this back has been broken many times before.
Kemi Oloyede
