By Richard Olajide

Before I am 15 Papa has a new buyerAnd Mama cannot hallaBecause She sees a way out of sufferI want some wooing from the boysStill hang out with Amaka and KafayaNot some sale to an Uncle or GrandPaPapa just stole my ‘HAPPILY EVER AFTER’ My YES or NO is off the tableAs they erase my Wig and GownPeel off my Stethoscope and SyringeSuddenly there’s a price on my potAnd they care not if I am hurtHow have I sinned against the gods?That they watch this evil befall me My unripe nectar already attracts pricesOn my first or second paragraph comes their fullstopLet the egg hatch before you want its yokeLet the fruit be ripe before you dream its juiceLet the pot be ready before you seek itI’m not ripe for the aisle or your bedI’m an immature street, you can’t come in now I’m just a kid, not yet time to bleedA lot of Mama’s care I still needPapa and buyer show me some understandingI have ripe sisters and there’s a roasterThey all before me, the tail of the rowSo why ignore the queueAnd disturb my cradle Who do I run to, Who do I call onWhen buyer is happy to payAnd Papa grateful to collectAnd the AYES had it in ‘The House’Father Lord I pray this Cup over me passBecause I’m just a lass, still unripe is my assI pray this be a dream to wake up fromIf this be some joke can it stop nowI am a Child not Bride; Girl not Mother

A lil scribble from a word artist…