Beads of Sorrow

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Dukiya, you have been known,
not just for your bravery,
more than what the eyes of mortal could see,
when the stormy wind approached,
tossing your marriage back and forth,
we saw how you faced it,
standing tall like the Iroko tree,
pushed but never relenting.

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Chukwu-abiama, the one that gives strength,
stood by you through the trying times,
when your only son convulsed,
two decades have passed now,
yet the story remained unchanged,
what a woman you have become,
firm, strong yet unrelenting,
you have given life another definition.

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Life breathes tears,
sorrow accompanied her virtues,
now they all reside in your abode,
the firmness of your girdle took them all in,
I wondered each time I peep,
through the cracked wall,
only to behold sweats on your forehead, working through the nights.

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There is no need to look far,
For any man can go through pain,
live with sorrow and die many times,
would I exaggerate that your kind never existed?
far be it,
we live only once on this planet,
many have believed on re-incarnation,
still many think its superstitious,
you will live again like a cat that has seven lives.

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Sorrow endures for the dark,
when light shines joy takes over,
through the marriage that was shaken,
and your son that had convulsed,
and the bewilderment of your trust on mortality,
the truth that it never existed,
you have weathered it all,
the first to stand tall and got sorrow defeated,
you are an African woman.

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An average African woman who lives on bare a regular income, depending on her partner for sustenance, go through tough times, waiting for the time such resources are made available. Most times, she bares the brunt of neglect from an irresponsible partner. This poem, however takes a lot at what a particular African woman had to face all alone, Dukiya. Perhaps you haven't heard, there are very many sorrow women around the world. They live with such pains and never got out of it until the ultimate price was paid. The more reason why I share in the pain through this poem.