Peeling back layers of guilt and regret
Like flaking paint off old walls
Looking for that core resistance
That sacred bit that never falls
Taking that mortality and draping it wide
Letting it cover you in renewed pride
I lean, stumble and sometimes fail
Working through tears and lingering pain
But fortitude grows when love is planted
Those seeds in others doubled, supplanted!
I sow words of poetry in hungry minds
Looking to release gender-based violence
Tears turn to pearls as hearts tumble and crack
And a new warrior is born, each time I step back!
Beverley Abrahams is a poet, teacher of English, and an activist against gender-based violence. She has worked with the UK based charity DD4P- Daughter’s Destined for Purpose for 6 years now, using poetry to highlight issues of GBV amongst youth in Zimbabwe. She believes that empowering children in the fight against gender-based violence is our hope for the future. She is a survivor of GBV.
Word Smash Poetry Movement 