THERAPY

Eziafakaego Brenda Nwafor

aka Brendalicious

Aida Muluneh. Ethiopia The 99 series. Source: Smithsonian National Museum of African Art

I'll use this knife,
cut out my face,
love handles and flaccid thighs 

So instead of seeing a blighted face,
lean and drained by years of unfulfilled dreams,
or the flabby protrusion of adipose,
you will see a bleeding figure
in need of care and tending,
perhaps a few stitches, too

Maybe then
my love will creep into your heart
For in place of wrinkles
you will see scars—
scars to be overlooked
while scouring for the tenderness
that lies within

Eziafakaego Brenda Nwafor is a poet and the author of "Ode To a Dancing Pen," a collection of fifty-two poems and "Eyes Wide Shut," a chap book and collection of twenty-four Halloween themed poems. She is bag designer and lives in Lagos, Nigeria. Brenda is also the Vice Chairman Association of Nigerian Authors,Lagos Chapter. @brendaliciously