Who will marry me?
Who will marry this smeared calabash on my head?
It sort of looks like treasure passed down from my three mothers:

one who wore stolen necklaces made of gold plated silver;
she learnt to pick locks from strong chains
while her father watched the random direction of the wind.

The mother who painted her hips with dark
dye meant for blank sheets;
she always told a story titled the ‘Origin of Art’.

Another who learned to grow acid tongue;
she stood underneath rain full of green bile.
Who will marry this knotted hair on my borrowed scalp?

Especially now you know the secret,
the borrowed necklaces, chains and picked locks.
Now you know permanent markers don’t fade.

>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<

Lind grant-Oyeye was born in Nigeria. She has published individual poems in several countries and also published a short collection of poetry: “The Gift: Twelve Days of Christmas”. Her poem M-moments recently won the international human rights poetry award from UHRSN, a human rights organisation.