Love Poem: Marks of An African Woman
Edwin Olu Bestman Avatar
Written by: Edwin Olu Bestman

Marks of An African Woman

Upriver - a place where she goes to fetch water and firewood 
Hair is neatly decorated with a collection of cowries and coins 
Stretch marks that cover the entirety of 
her growing belly

Beautiful eyes - eyes that possess a power to kill a man at passion's spot 
Beautiful beaded accessories surrounding her charming waist 
African who was born with Africa lying comfortably in her womb

Some societies term her 'black and dark as in every picture'
But she wears her culture joyfully every day and night
And aside from her captivating look, skin is purely gold 

Downriver - a place where she sits, entertains, and explains stories 
Her cultural heritage is a key - a key to understanding her roots 
She welcomes a stranger with a cola nut and a bottle of palm wine 

She is an African 
Not because she was birthed on the 
fertile soil of Africa 
But because Africa spent nine unbroken solid months in her womb 

Grace - a Liberian queen 
Adanna - a Nigerian model 
Nadia - a Ghanaian royal and 
Samuella - a Sierra Leonean seer 

They Are Africans.