Hacked on like a freshly slain lioness,
A woman is cleansed of her genital filth.
Sanitized with spit, the blades saw away at this-
The tender labia and clitoris.
In the name of tradition and seized by an elder with a knife,
Our multicultural sisters have been scarred for life.
Whether left with just a peep hole,
Or amputation of part of the inner lips,
Hemorrhaging through a tightly tied suture,
What is in store for the mutilated woman's future?
Even just because she is seeking to become a man's wife,
Our butchered up sisters have been scarred for life.
What life remains?
But one filled with pain, infection, and shock
With the memory of this sexually linked traumatic experience,
The women, drowned in fear, suffer in silence.
JESSICA PIPPEN
