Years have past
Therefore, my credibility was lower than Atlantis
Time did corrode the truth
It shattered me, to be honest
Yet, little did I know
That in order to conquest sovereignty over these bones,
I had to auction my yoni to the lowest bidders
As I efface every memory of you,
I fall from Grace and find Sodom and Gomorrah within me
Bodies and souls pilling over my roof
Like Satan’s backyard
I truly believed then that I was reclaiming my Wolof empire;
Until breathing became a burden too heavy to carry
The repercussions of such an unnoticeable existence.
I couldn’t deny it any longer,
You built all my masks and cursed all my dreams
Oshun knows you’re still in me
And you always will be
Since I don’t fit the profile anymore
And rape charges in Portugal subscribe after 10y
There are no other masks left for me to portray
But the noiseless survivor part.
This piece is the living proof of coping mechanisms after overwhelming trauma. It came to be the realisation that sex can become a tool of self harm, if you don't face your demons.
Jamila Pereira is a Bissau-Guinean poet, published writer, freelance journalist and screenplay writer. She is also a BA (Hons) International Relations graduate. Throughout her degree, she discovered how much she loved writing and how much politics meant to her, two passions which propelled her into a writing career. Among her achievements, she has had a lot of her writing published in Black Ballad, one of the UK’s leading black-owned publications, and was also shortlisted for the Top 20 Merky Books Writer’s Camp 2019. Her Instagram handle is @millie_gp.