bow your head and pray

for Gods blessings

what if I say no

choose to bow my belly

instead

bend my womb

refuse to give birth

to children of God

address your permission

as a dirty thing

lift up my heart

what if it chooses to be broken instead

broken. instead.

is my body a land

I inherited from pagans

if the answer is no

why must God and man lay claim

to what is mine

what is mine?

everyday I fasted and prayed

I swallowed everything you threw

into my belly

out. out. out.

for every deliverance you sowed

I reaped nothing

bow my head and pray

for Gods blessings

what if I refuse to bend.

By Sloane Angelou

From: Côte d’Ivoire