Because the Baby was a Girl

She stopped frequenting the stream of her youth
On market days
Her space was vacant among women
At noon, she took cover from hot sun
An imbecile spirit might be lurking the street
Her protruding belly is her burden to bear alone

Alani, her husband
Kept boasting to his drunk friends
“My son is on his way into this world”

One night the sky roared with rain
She laid on a mat
Gasping between life and death
Blood flooded, tears flowed
Anguishing pain pounded her
Then with one fainting sigh
A healthy child was born

No one touched the little thing
Disappointment shone on all expecting faces
When Alani asked what sex it was
"A girl again" came the answer
He hurried out of the room angry and brokenhearted

Exhausted, she pulled her untended baby closer
Both unwashed in maternity blood
Whispered without any strength
"Live my child, live well"
Dropping her baby in silence
She pull back her head towards the mat
And breathed her last

© Olatuja Oloyede