By Mariatha Causway ak Jennifer Thomas

While Linden

Lazy

Lay around

Venting questionable

Frustrations.

Linda made

Two sons

In the midst

Of their

Tribulations:

Many nights

Of fights

And mornings:

Total silence.

Linda

Lived

At his parents house

Going about her chores

With no signs of pain.

Bearing

No complaints as she washed and cooked and cleaned…

And always offered him

Female

Obligations

Whenever

Linden wanted.

And his gratitude for her love

Were the badges of honour

He granted

With his fists:

Black and blue and clear as day,

Beneath her ebony skin.

Sometimes with

Her beautiful

Eyes

Protruding.

A beautiful woman:

Her skin-tone dark,

Shone

And other men

Stole glances…

But not many saw

Beyond her flesh and spotted

The loneliness

The pain

In neighbour Linda’s eyes.

And then that day came when

Linda saw that for her

Linden was

No match

Made in heaven,

And found

Her strength

And walked

Away:

Two black bags

One son in her arms

And the other

Tied to her skirt

As she left him!

Linden…

The man of an old

Dream become a nightmare

Cussin’

In her wake.

Linda unlike

Lot’s wife

Never

Looked back…

As she

Took long strides

Heading

To the other side

Of her fate…

And I cheered

This picture of a woman

Heading towards

A new life’s

Open gate.