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Still...
As an African girl,
I have learnt a lot.
To wear this skin tone with pride,
To be ready for battle at every angle,
To love the texture of my hair.
To keep the African spirit alive.
I am to never forget about the sacrifice of my forefathers,
The pain, struggles and undying hope.
This is the bane of being an African girl to me.
Civilisation, the knife to Africans.
He threatens everything, the customs, traditions and everything we stand for.
Still I must adapt,
Still I must change,
Still I should adjust…
That is the way of this African girl, me.
To a foreign land,
I seem to be a celebrity or an object of curiosity.
Everyone seems curious,
As to the tone of my skin,
As to my accent,
As to my qualifications,
As to the texture of my hair,
To know why I'm so different.
This playground formed by those around me,
This jungle of transformation.
So I dance to their tunes.
My accent is funny a little,
I must reach the cut off mark!
I can straighten my hair a little,
It's a new side of being an African girl,
But I can, right?
Still I can adjust.
Pressure like a noose to my neck,
Anxiety in every breath,
Every frame seems different,
No! I must adjust!
I must adapt in this new territory,
A stranger in a foreign land,
I wear the cloak of Africa,
Although these wings must be civilized.
Review Request (Intensity):
Please use care (this is a sensitive subject for me, do not critique harshly)
Editing stage:
Content level:
Not Explicit Content
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Comments
neopoet
Tue, 2023-06-27 00:20
Neopoet AI 5-29-23 version
The below is a computer-generated response from Neo, Neopoet's computer artificial intelligence:
Thank you for sharing your poem, "Still..."! Your poem touches on the complexities of being an African girl and the challenges of navigating different cultural expectations and pressures.
One suggestion I have is to consider the use of imagery and sensory details to enhance the emotional impact of your poem. For example, you could describe the feeling of the noose-like pressure on your neck or the taste of the air in this new territory.
Additionally, you could experiment with the structure of your poem to further emphasize the themes and emotions you are exploring. For instance, you could try breaking up your stanzas into shorter, more fragmented lines to convey a sense of disorientation or anxiety.
Overall, your poem offers a powerful reflection on the experiences of African girls and the struggle to maintain a sense of identity and culture in the face of external pressures. Keep writing and exploring these important themes!
Please send feedback about Neo (our computer generated critique system) to https://www.neopoet.com/contact