Written piece
Can I dream Again
Prescilla Mwansa
Zambia
About this piece
The poem depicts a rural woman whose dreams are limited by child marriage, inequality, poverty, and few opportunities, yet despite these hardships, it ends with her longing to dream again and reclaim hope for a better future.
Awakening to the crow of the cock
I rise before the morning light
And step into another day
Yesterday's toils and tomorrow's burdens crowd my waking mind
Sixth wife,
The name this village knows me by
Tonight my husband is not mine
Mine is to school my children and keep hunger outside the door
I light the fire
Porridge thickens in blackened posts
Electricity and running water remains stories told from elsewhere
Soon I leave to work the fields
My three months old twins strapped to my back and chest
The rivers are closed
The fish must breed they say
My five hundred herd of cattle
Sell only at my husband's nod
And so my children only learn the taste of boiled vegetables
Most times I think of my sister living in the city
If only she visits
Perhaps we will taste chicken, goat and maybe even beef
Once I had a dream
To live in the city
To work
And have a bank card bearing my name
Books besides my children bed
To have a voice
But at thirteen I became a mother
Now fifteen years have passed
A husband twice my age
Wife number six of seven
Seven children
A small stubborn hope survives
Can I dream again?
Am I too late or should I dare, still?
My twin sons wail.