we are the dog who caught the game br but are made to take comfort in the bones br beneath the master’s table br br we are the wood splintered by iron axes br we are the door ravaged by steel arms br and torn apart so they may take the prize br br we are the deflowered virgin, raped br by sailors from the Seven Seas br and draped in shrouds of soft silken threads br br we are the abandoned princess br waiting for the man who touched her soul br to return to free her heart in the stone br br we are the vast and endless pasture br caught between delicate pale white fingers br that pluck and tiptoe away the smile on our faces br br and now we shed tears, littered fragments br of our broken dreams in every allay of the world br while they rub our chests with the fragrance of deathbr br Padmore Enyonam Agbemabiesebr br