FRIDAY CHILD

 

Ngozichi, Paradise Island, Bahamas, 2015

I was born at the cusp of a war

the drums beating in defiance

conflicts rumbling in the background

rebellion against injustice

standing up to the genocide

of a people longing

to take their destiny into their hands

I was born at the start of a weekend

on a Friday

a child who is fair of face

in a city where streets

are lined with overindulgence

and a free flow of

wine, liquor, and party Jollof

littered every corner

on weekends

I was born to lead a rebellion

I did not choose

but marked by my birth

not at the frontlines

but in the background

to be unconventional

non-conforming

dancing to the beats of my own drum

I was born

to create new paths

tread roads less traveled

and make a highway of them

I was marked by my birth

to be the Northern star

the half of a yellow Sun