For Yvonne Vera

You open spaces with words that evoke
that yell and silence
that scream defiance
that sting, that sing
that give the already dead inside some hope
Your words break through with the water of a womb
developed and heavy
they came when ready
to prove, to move
To resurrect ideals that were entombed

You open spaces with words and inspire
translating the beats of a heart
every murmur containing poetic art
preaching the truth, convincing the youth
exhaling actual reality for them to respire
Your words suffocate the liar and his rhetoric
years of infliction
years of submission
years of tradition, years of affliction
You show how all of his lies nursed a nation to be sick

You opened spaces with words and created room
for muted voices
for strangled choices
for her, for them
for everyone forced into the maschista fumes
Your words opened, opened the world to your world
opened eyes to a nation raged
to Zimbabwe's stage
to women's lives, to those colonialized
to a place left aside, until we opened your words

By Samantha McQuibban

Comments

[Anonymous]

This poem is my favorite of all written here. "Your words suffocate the liar .." is brilliant. I love the way the poet personified the "words." I wish I could write like this

[ETorres]

A unique and refreshing poem. What an enormous talent you posses!

[EPeralta]

My professor was very impressed with your poem and told us to read your work and try to learn from it. I must say that Im very impressed and overwhelmed if he thinks I could ever write something like that