Stories our mothers told us
Amara Victoria 2000 (Nigeria)
The same way folktale passes from generation to generation,
The stories passed from our fore mothers to our mothers.
And they told us,
When I was born, still an infant sucking my mother's breast,
She told me am meant for good things .
Mama told me even as an infant to never settle for less.
So here I am a grown woman aiming only for the big things.
When I started forming words,
Mama told me to pray.
"The world is a battlefield" she always say.
"If you don't pray , you won't survive " this still rings in my ears till date.
When I was 9, right before I became a woman,
She told me that when a male cross my legs i get pregnant.
I started fearing that transit to womanhood and the other gender.
I never have them around while growing up.
As a teenager,
She told me that virginity is the highest gift,
She told me that losing it equals losing your life whatever the way,
I went on with that stigma hung on me like a permanent cold blanket.
When I became a woman,
Mama told me that any mistake brings pregnancy,
I hated womanhood and I wish it never came.
Each times it comes, it brings much pain that increases with each hatred.
These stories formed me and destroyed me.
When I become a mother. I'll filter those tales
While I pass them on.
About this poem
The poem is about the mothers and how they feel they're giving us the best ( they do sometimes) while indirectly hurting us.
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Written on February 14, 2023
Submitted by Shadowqueen on February 16, 2023
Modified on March 14, 2023
- 1:21 min read
- 1 View
Quick analysis:
Scheme | AX X XBXB XCCX AXDX DXCX AEXX EXX |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic hexameter |
Characters | 1,249 |
Words | 269 |
Stanzas | 8 |
Stanza Lengths | 2, 1, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 3 |
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"Stories our mothers told us" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 14 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/153500/stories-our-mothers-told-us>.
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