Poem | Sheroes by E.M. Bless'On III

Poem | Sheroes by E.M. Bless’On III

Wales Arts Review is pleased to publish this new poem, Sheroes, by E.M. Bless’On III, in celebration of two things: Black History Month and the advent of the publication of the poets’ latest collection, Bleeding Ink.

 

Sheroes

By the bush fire, tales were told of heroes,
by the look of die hard souls or minnows,
the portrayal of our mothers other than sheroes!

Until lions have their historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunter.
Unless the lioness hunted food, tales of the pride shall always begin as a banter.

But they never sang her praise.
Oh people, hear my voice I raise,
to sheroes of loops and traps maze.

She was born in the pain and pang of distress.
Witnessed the theft of her sons and daughters.
She has borne the pain of her man they oppress.
If nothing is left of – her energy is relentless.

Whiles the heroes’ blood was poured on soil,
sheroes cultivated her seeds to toil,
Against bonds to defend this futures’ coil.
Her head should’ve greased her with wine and oil.

But they never sang her praise.
Oh people, hear my voice I raise,
to sheroes of loops and traps maze.

The sense of guilt we lay upon her,
for civilisations lost across cities. We incense humans to dig upon her,
the worse outcome of atrocities.

They broke her homes, stole her sons, raped her daughters and slaved her man but she remained!
They bared her loins, sold her lands, ripped her minerals, infiltrated her purest but she remained!
Her prowess is not powers but ability to conceive more and more… so WE remained!

But they never sang her praise.
Oh people, hear my voice I raise,
to sheroes of loops and traps maze.

Everyone speaks about heroes often forgetting who picked up the pieces when all the chips are down.
Everyone supported the men leading the struggle for peace, yes but the women did it on their own.

Rhetorical, historians please take your leave,
or mention the woman left at home to grieve.
Biblical his’tory, told of Adam and Eve.
Typical – his story, told of Mr. Biko, Steve.

Of course we respect Patrice Lumumba, Kwame Nkrumah, history of freedom fighters’ lives,
but it’s an injustice to his story not to mention the legacy of these freedom fighters’ wives.

The course of Emperor Haile Selassie, Muhammed V, Agostinho Neto and Jomo Kenyatta,
we respect!
Shout out to their wives Empress Menen Asfaw, Princess Tahar, Eugénia da Silva and Grace Wahu, respectively!

We remember Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela and Mr.
Malcom X,
But remember Coretta Scott King, Betty Shabazz. Winnie wasn’t just Mandela’s Ex.

We celebrate Great Black Heritage.

So remember Great Black Women,
left all alone with her seeds and derelict.
Hungry for the truth for your soul – food for thought, FOR HER I feed you these lyrics.

So next time you tell the tale that he is a hero,
make sure you tell the truth that he has a Shero!
-© E. M. BLESS’ON III

(Excerpts from the book “BLEEDING INK… Lost Life. Lost Friends. Lost Love.” Prints and eBooks available on Amazon & online from the 29/10/2017.)

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