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Scars

I knelt before her. Fear still clung her heart and she shrunk in despair. I had watched as she avoided my eyes everyday. A silent murmur of greeting and she disappeared again. I took a closer look and I saw how she leaped. She walked like her leg was shortened. I gave her a wry smile as she forced a smile parting her lips. I smiled back reassuring her of my presence. She took a breathe of pain and tears made a track on her cheeks. It flowed gently but felt like a disturbed ocean with roaring waves.
She drew in air and took breathe.
“When I became conscious, all I remember was being dragged into the hut”. She said.
She told me about her culture that had a masked face. A face shiny and bright but poised with dreadful evil. She had turned 11 and had to embrace this face and drink of it’s poison. She tried to rebel; to escape her fate but she was caught between it’s claws. It was time for the initiation into womanhood. She didn’t fully understand, but she knew no one spoke of it. It wasn’t compulsory but it wasn’t optional either. Her friends were dragged in before her and she heard loud screams. Dragged in, tears clouded her eyes and in shadows, she saw scalpels, blades, knives, all rusted and covered in blood and emotions.
Scars danced in the room and entertained more scars. Seemed to be enjoying this horror scene the scars created, suddenly the sharp pain that cut across her spine came. She swam into darkness.
Blood, sorrow and scars trickled down her legs and she wept. Months later, some people she knew, including her own sister and the chief’s daughter, died. She healed slowly, it never got to her soul. Maybe she never healed. She suffered tetanus and her curvy walking step was altered. The scar clung to her closer than her skin. It broke her, made her think womanhood was a terminal disease. The scar was her origin, her identity. She sought change and vowed to see the end of female genital mutilation.
Tears dried into lines and scars wound up once more. Cut forever. It left me thinking.
Scars don’t leave, do they?

91 Responses

  13. No one really deserves these scars.
    Everything that needs to be done to stop this wicked act must be done.
    God bless you, Lois for being part of the movement.

  14. “She sought change and vowed to see the end of female genital mutilation.”
    May this be history just like killing of twins at birth thanks to Mary Slessor who choice to be a voice. Thank you NG.

  22. FGM is a poison that the society has sadly decided to eat. It’s harmful and leaves deep scars imprinted in the soul. It should be something we all advocate against. Well-done Lois.

  24. This is inspiring. I’m sending love to everyone affected by this and I hope you get healed. Scars never leave but I hope your soul finds healing. Thank you.

  26. These scars don’t require treatment
    because they’ve been there all along.

    I spent a lot of time in the abyss.
    These terrifying recollections seem to be caught in a web, perpetual, and inscrutable.

    I won’t cover them, so no.
    They have helped me recuperate from these scars.

    Allow your scars to shine,
    not just on your body’s surface
    but also on your heart and spirit.

  42. I know how passionate you are about women. This tells it all. The pain and the damage all in the name of a culture, very wrong. It must be stopped. Well-done dear.

  84. FGM is one of the evil that really must be stopped. It is a high level abuse!
    Apart from creating awareness about it’s existence. There is need to go to some of this places and educate them about the dangers of this evil heart.

    Apart from the physical injury, it kills something in the inside of the victims. Many of them don’t recover from it.

    Well-done Lois!
    I love the creativity and the use of words.

    Let’s keep doing this

  86. The harms, the scars, the pains that never left without a trauma. The scars that never heals from our brains. The fear that it create in us.
    I hoped one day, this message spread across the world and stop the elders of their ignoramus and the damage they caused more than the good.

    A good masterpiece here girl. We keep rooting for you to spread the message to the world.
    A
    #afemalechild #mustbesaved #spreadthemessege #educateoneelders #andsaveafemalechildtoday

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