Fed On

By Mercy Moige Mecha

Nipple of alien alabaster breast
squashed into ebony thick cupid mouth
dripping lumps of cuddled sour milk
into an eager unsuspecting throat

child chuckles as he suckles

The wise once prophesied:

He who knows not a mother’s breast

Can be even nourished on a dogs

child stealer has a sneer:
gloats her power.
guiltless she reaps
seeds she covertly sowed sown

True mother lies dying
her breasts like empty maize sacks sagging

Sapped of energy she moans
beckons to unknowing child

Come o beloved one
Let  go of the springs of cuddliness
come suck these empty sacs
no milk no curd
just comfort, connection.

ravenous child’s lips

Slacken and he casts
suspicious eye on mom

Questioning on surrogate
Hunger prevails
sucks on

with songs of shake the Spear
songs of Bleak Innocence
songs of cleansing black
to white as snow

The child is lulled to sleep

child cannot hear
the deep throated songs of a dying matriarch
singing of Frelimo and drums
kisumu and bodabodas.

Child is
dreaming of pleasing the one
who feeds him on curdled milk.

Talented Northampton based writer and poet Mercy Moige Mecha is part of the Northampton Writers group and on the way to having her short stories and some of her poetry published in their literary journal. This  September she will be pursuing Writing for Children(MA) at Winchester University.