By Peace~Tolo the Wordsmith 2021©.  Illustration by Rosie Olang

She knew.
The umbilical cord which connected us made us one.
She always knew.
I look on at her wrinkles; a story of grief, healing and reconciliation.
The winds of change slammed our dreams across the wall.
We had to carve out new dreams out of the pieces left behind.
She loved me.
I feel it in her silence; coated with the desperate need to understand me.
The need to birth me again in her mind as the person I truly am.
She always loved me.

She hated me; the evil that wormed into her daughter’s life.
She hated you for loving me.
Heaven heard the echoes of your cries as you were torn between mother and lover.
Yet it slept while you wept, while you prayed for an escape, a better day.
You cut yourself open, hoping to get an outlet for the pain,
You flashed fake smiles at the world, praying no one would have to fake concern.
You befriended demons; in hopes they would plead with their master to release you from the torment.
Home became a cold hell.
She hated you for loving me against all odds.

She loved you.
She was scared of losing you, losing you to faceless monsters, nameless villains and vices.
She was afraid of the world looking on ahead judgmentally at her.
Mama projected her fears in her lashings at you.
She couldn’t pray your love away; she couldn’t beat the rainbow strips out of your skin.

August 25 2025.
No matter how bad the tide turned, the bond was a candle whose string never burnt out.
In and out of time, I was yours and you were mine, beyond flesh, circumstances and fears.
I believe with every fibre in my being, these hands were made to wipe your tears.
I was always meant to be by your side, for sunny and rainy seasons.
I love you beyond reason.
I loved you before and on this day; I pledge to love you forever.

August 25 2025.
You tell me this is it; home. You’ve found a place to walk barefooted.
You’ve made peace with everything.
You can finally breathe without shaking, smile without faking it.
You love me.
She graces the aisle with an innocent smile, spreading the love with flower petals.
Ruvarashe is a blessing we call our daughter.
The glue to the story, the reason two mothers chose to understand,
To understand a love they ignorantly forbade.
They love her.
They love us.