I Hear It All...

I hear you as I walk past
I hear the cat calls
Sometimes I pretend I do not understand
But I do.
I hear the ‘baby’… I hear ‘omo ele’
I hear the whistling, I hear the ‘mama’
I hear it all

I hear you as I walk past
I hear your laughter
I hear the amusement in your voice
I hear you when you say among yourself
she is not one of us o
Look at her legs… like yam tubers… see the veins… she must be from the other tribe

I hear you as I walk past
I hear all you say
I hear when you say ‘how can she say she has no money’
I hear the malice in your tone.
I hear when you say she is a girl… if she has no money, it’s because she is a fool…

I hear you as I walk past
I hear you telling your daughter how much her admission cost you
I hear you when you say, now you are there, find a way to pass….you are a girl… graduate by any means…

I hear you as a I walk past
I hear you talking about me
I hear you when you say she is sleeping with the boss… that’s why they are so close…
I hear you when you say she is a girl… that’s why she was promoted
I hear all you say

I hear you as I walk past
I hear you talking about the exam
I hear you ask one another why I had the best result
I hear you when you say, what does she have to think about…we have a lot on our mind…we only let her win

I hear you as I drive past
I hear you all
I hear you when you say she is just a girl
I hear you when you say a man must have given her the car
I hear the debate… maybe her boyfriend…or her husband…. maybe it was her father

I hear you everyday
But hear me today…
Yes I am a girl… but I’m also human
It hurts when you disrespect me
It hurts when you demean me
And It hurts when you belittle what I can do