I Am Not A Monster

I am not a monster,

I am a lover jilted in the altar of marriage

Left to wallow in the labyrinth of shame

Left by men running away from responsibility

Called names by my fellow women

But that doesn't make me a monster

Looking back, I have been butchered and battered

My innocence has been robbed off me

By that man in a suit who rode a Benz

By that matatu conductor who dangled a few coins

By that guy in a motorbike who gave me free rides

All preying on the young innocent me,

Still, I am not a monster

I have been denied the chance to grow

What when on my periods I had to miss school?

What when a host of chores waited for me at home?

What when I had to mother my siblings when our mother was away?

Yet, I am not a monster

So when you see me walking in these streets

A single mother of three beautiful kids

Three kids who have three different fathers,

Label me a great parent who stayed for her kids

Label me a heroine who did the right thing

Because I am not a monster.