16 Days of Activism blog posts

What the Dead Say by Phillippa Yaa De Villiers

Submitted by lebog on Fri, 27/11/2009 - 15:11

Cities stand

like ravished women

called Maputo, Accra, Mombasa;

on a beach

of bleached memory,

they are torn, shattered, only half-decent,

with that lewd, innocent look around the eyes

that girls get when they’ve been used too soon:

they know how to please and how to get

what they need. They watch sailors come

and go. The waves blow the mind

back to the first sharp pain as

hard men forced themselves into the house of dreams

and they bled history

Refers to blog topic: 
16 Days of Activism

Into Insanity

Submitted by lebog on Fri, 27/11/2009 - 15:05

I will never sleep again
the memory of my kind
tossed in the veld
haunts my every day and night
Woman girls on the way to a party
I cannot speak of what was done to them

panties stuff their mouths
open thighs slick with blood and semen
hands tied with barbed wire
eyes bulging in horror

The neighbors came to gawk at their sprawled nakedness
A woman covered their corpses with her blankets
In the sun for six hours before the police came

Refers to blog topic: 
16 Days of Activism

Into Insanity

Submitted by lebog on Fri, 27/11/2009 - 15:01

I will never sleep again
the memory of my kind
tossed in the veld
haunts my every day and night
Woman girls on the way to a party
I cannot speak of what was done to them

panties stuff their mouths
open thighs slick with blood and semen
hands tied with barbed wire
eyes bulging in horror

The neighbors came to gawk at their sprawled nakedness
A woman covered their corpses with her blankets
In the sun for six hours before the police came

Refers to blog topic: 
16 Days of Activism

Autobiography by Myesha Jenkins

Submitted by lebog on Fri, 27/11/2009 - 14:52

It was too early
Blood, blood, everywhere
mother hemorrhaging, the priest gave her last rites
sorry father, no hope for baby
Nineteen forty-eight
I was born a rebel at birth
I never had a good relationship with my mother.

I grew, played rough, was smart, had friends
sprouted hair, grew tits and started bleeding
By eight I knew my body was
fearful, shameful, dangerous
That year my brother got married
I was raised like an only child.

Refers to blog topic: 
16 Days of Activism

Wannabes by Myesha Jenkins

Submitted by lebog on Fri, 27/11/2009 - 14:46

For Nelito, Didi, Thembinkhosi and Walter

Refers to blog topic: 
16 Days of Activism

Girlfriend by Myesha Jenkins

Submitted by lebog on Fri, 27/11/2009 - 14:42

I love my girlfriends
they lift me up

Its good to have
someone
who cares
enough
to always
listen

The job
that man
this body

Sharing
Remembering
Dreaming

I love my girlfriends

2 June 1995
By Myesha Jenkins

Refers to blog topic: 
16 Days of Activism

Green Shirt by Myesha Jenkins

Submitted by lebog on Fri, 27/11/2009 - 14:40

Yesterday
I thought of you
coming through the door
to my openness.
But you did not come.
He did
Today
in the green shirt
my mind saw
you wearing.
And we shared what we had wanted
right there
in the office
in the afternoon
with all our clothes on
electric and unstoppable
I had to ask him how
When you come
will you wear
a green shirt?

By Myesha Jenkins

Refers to blog topic: 
16 Days of Activism

Saxophone Man By Myesha Jenkins

Submitted by lebog on Fri, 27/11/2009 - 14:34

You come at me hard
running
skipping
falling
rising again
into the stratosphere of night
always the night
that you come
howling

Screaming your way
into my head
making me remember
filling my chest
racing my heart in syncopation
my muscles twitch
leaving me spent
slack jawed and teary eyed

I shake my hair loose
you come at me again
 

By Myesha Jenkins

POLITICIANS AND SOCIETY AGAINST VIOLENCE of WOMEN AND GIRLS

Submitted by amazing on Fri, 03/04/2009 - 10:08

I WAS ONE OF THE FEW TEENAGERS WHO WENT TO IKHAYALETHEMBA,TO WITNESS THE GATHERING OF DIFFERENT POLITICAL PARTIES.IT WAS REALLY AMAZING TO BE AT THE SAME ROOM AS SUCH ICONS,THERE WERE ACTUALLY ALL THE CAMPAINING PARTIES THAT WANT TO CHANGE THE LIVES OF THE SOUTH AFRICANS FOR THE BETTER. TO BE QUITE FRANK SOME OF THEM WERE NOT REALLY READY FOR THE PUBLIC ANOUNCEMENTS, LIKE THE REPRESANTATIVE FOR COPE, THAT WOMAN! SHE HAS A NERVE OF SAY THAT SHE DIS NOT HAVE A RESPONSE TO THE QUESTION ABOUT WHAT HER PARTY WILL COMMIT TO REGARDING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN.

Women in political parties

Submitted by supernice on Thu, 02/04/2009 - 15:43

Women in political parties I'm very angry about women in politics because: Today i went to an election debate & I felt like all those women who were there were sent to campaign for votes not to address the issues of women & violence against them, all those parties did was say "i would empower women if they vote for my party" that's it! Now you tell me, how you would trust such women? It's very much clear they were sent by men because non of the things they said were valid. I could see through them that they came to talk to us because it's time for voting.

Site Disclaimer

Materials provided on this Site are provided "as is", without warranty of any kind. Women'sNet periodically adds, changes, improves and updates materials on this site without notice but does not guarantee the accuracy and completeness of the information on its web site. Hyperlinks to other web sites, blogs, digital stories and comments posted and any other materials imply neither responsibility for, nor approval of, the information contained in those other web sites on the part of Women'sNet. Under no circumstances shall Women'sNet be liable for any loss, damage, liability or expense incurred or suffered that is claimed to have resulted from the use of this site, including any fault, error, omission, interruption, distribution, archiving thereof or delay with respect thereto.