Unaogopa sauti yangu?
Kwani ni nani aliekuambia kua sauti yako inaweza kutusemea sote?
Au ni unyororo wake unaokufanya ufikirie mimi ni dhaifu?
Unaogopa maumbile yangu?
Unono wa kifua changu, na upana wa nyonga yangu?
Hata kwa mtazamo naonekana shupavu,
Mwendo wangu wa mnyato, mithili ya simba jike,
Lakini pamoja na nguvu zangu,
Natumia kalamu, sio mateke.
Kwani ni nani aliekuambia kua sauti yako inaweza kutusemea sote?
Au ni unyororo wake unaokufanya ufikirie mimi ni dhaifu?
Unaogopa maumbile yangu?
Unono wa kifua changu, na upana wa nyonga yangu?
Hata kwa mtazamo naonekana shupavu,
Mwendo wangu wa mnyato, mithili ya simba jike,
Lakini pamoja na nguvu zangu,
Natumia kalamu, sio mateke.
Unaogopa kuumia?
Au ndio unamlipiza Mola kisasi
kumnyofoa Adamu ubavu?
Kwa hiyo ndio kila siku unataka kunipiga ngumi za mbavu!!!!!
Kwani ni nani aliyekuambia kua alifanya makosa?
Kama alikua anataka ubabe,
Basi si angenyofoa unyayo ili kila siku
tukanyagwe! Tukanyagwe!
Au ndio unamlipiza Mola kisasi
kumnyofoa Adamu ubavu?
Kwa hiyo ndio kila siku unataka kunipiga ngumi za mbavu!!!!!
Kwani ni nani aliyekuambia kua alifanya makosa?
Kama alikua anataka ubabe,
Basi si angenyofoa unyayo ili kila siku
tukanyagwe! Tukanyagwe!
Usingizi si nusu kifo, hebu fungua macho!!!
Ung’avu wa sura yangu haifanyi yako kua hafifu.
Tusiogope usawa jamani!
Mama akiwa mwerevu hakumfanyi baba mbumbumbu,
Wala hakuna kinachopungua mwendawazimu akipoteza kumbukumbu,
Tuache mambo ya juzi,
Tusisingizie utamaduni, wala vitabu vya dini.
Hakuna kulikoandikwa kua kaskazini yazidi kusini.
Tumegawanyika sawa, nusu wewe, nusu mimi.
Ung’avu wa sura yangu haifanyi yako kua hafifu.
Tusiogope usawa jamani!
Mama akiwa mwerevu hakumfanyi baba mbumbumbu,
Wala hakuna kinachopungua mwendawazimu akipoteza kumbukumbu,
Tuache mambo ya juzi,
Tusisingizie utamaduni, wala vitabu vya dini.
Hakuna kulikoandikwa kua kaskazini yazidi kusini.
Tumegawanyika sawa, nusu wewe, nusu mimi.
Mfalme hawezi potea kwa kumsikiliza malkia,
Tushirikishane kwenye maamuzi,
sisi sio ving’amuzi,
kila picha unayoleta, tunapokea!
Eti wewe mtoto wa kike, olewa tu!!
Shule ya nini.
We mama mjane, onewa tu!!
Nyumba wape.
We bibi kizee, sogea huko!!
Hatakiwi hata kusikika.
Hapana!
Sote tuna nafasi.
Tushirikishane kwenye maamuzi,
sisi sio ving’amuzi,
kila picha unayoleta, tunapokea!
Eti wewe mtoto wa kike, olewa tu!!
Shule ya nini.
We mama mjane, onewa tu!!
Nyumba wape.
We bibi kizee, sogea huko!!
Hatakiwi hata kusikika.
Hapana!
Sote tuna nafasi.
Kama vile jembe na mpini,
Moja halifanyi kazi bila jingine,
Kama vile jembe na mpini,
Mwanamke hafanyi kazi bila mwanaume,
Na mwanaume hafanyi kazi bila mwanamke
Tulete mabadiliko,
Tukubali mabadiliko,
kuanzia sehemu za kazi, hata huko majumbani,
Kubali mabadiliko,
Mtu mke, mtu mume,
Sote tu sawa.
Moja halifanyi kazi bila jingine,
Kama vile jembe na mpini,
Mwanamke hafanyi kazi bila mwanaume,
Na mwanaume hafanyi kazi bila mwanamke
Tulete mabadiliko,
Tukubali mabadiliko,
kuanzia sehemu za kazi, hata huko majumbani,
Kubali mabadiliko,
Mtu mke, mtu mume,
Sote tu sawa.
Photography by Mwanzo L Milinga
Neema Komba is a poet and writer from Tanzania. She is the 2014 winner of the Etisalat Prize for Literature in the Flash Fiction category. She is the author of Mektildis Kapinga: a silent hero, and See Through the Complicated, a poetry collection. Her work entitled, “The Search for Magical Mbuji”, appeared in the creative non-fiction anthology, Safe House: Explorations in Creative Nonfiction. Her short stories have been featured in Payback and Other Stories: An anthology for African and African Diaspora Short Stories, Adda Stories and Index on censorship. Her other works have also appeared in This is Africa and Vijana FM. She co-founded La Poetista, a platform for poets and other performing artists to showcase their art and create a positive impact in the community through the arts. Through La Poetista, she coordinated the Woman Scream International Poetry and Arts Festival in Tanzania from 2013 to 2015, a movement to fight violence against women. She is also a steering committee member for the Ebrahim Hussein Poetry Prize. Currently, she is a doctoral student in Entrepreneurship at Hanken School of Economics.