1…
20…
50 times…
She lost count
As her mind chose to leave her the moment he climbed on top of her
Her mouth was taped shut by shame
Her hands bound by family ties
She could never speak her truth
Because her truth was his sin
A sin that she was forced to bare
She struggled to come to terms that she would never enter the Kingdom of Heaven
How do you tell a 10-year-old that was raped that God condemns those that have sex before marriage?
How do you explain to a child that she has been damned to hell if she has had to endure it every day?
Afraid to love
Afraid to cry
Afraid to make a sound
Frightened that he might come back
She…
Her…
Me…
My mother’s little princess
That even at the age of 31 still runs to the ocean to escape
Afraid to speak because it’s always the fault of she who was raped
Ros Limbo is a UK-based Namibian poet, writer and blogger. Her work has been published by The Mighty, The International Bipolar Foundation (IBPF), The Depression Army, and Berlin ArtParasites. Her work has also been anthologised by the Afriwowri (African Women Writers) Literary Project and she was shortlisted for the 2021 Bank Windhoek Doek Literary Awards in the poetry category. Ros is a qualified chartered accountant, avid yogi, and holds a certificate in Afrikan Feminist and Gender Studies from the Thabo Mbeki African Leadership Institute (TMALI). In 2022 she was a fellow of the Narrating Namibia, Narrating Africa Doek Emerging Writers Program.