Like Many Other African Daughters Poem by Precious Mlambo

She was every girl's envy
Beautiful but pure
But now she has H.I.V
Deadly with no cure
She wonders when
And she wonders how
Like many other young African daughters

It was her very first time
A quick thrill
She thought it not a crime
But now she lives on a pill
She wonders when
And she wonders how
Like many other young African daughters

Her parents haven't been told
Neither does her lover know
She is not yet that bold
And hopes it will never show
She wonders when
And she wonders how
Like many other young African daughters

There is also a baby in her womb
Who will come to the earth
So she thinks about the tomb
And whether she should give him birth
She wonders when
And she wonders how
Like many other young African daughters

"When will I die? "
I tell her; "never"
If she accepts Christ
She will live forever

"How will it end? "
I say; "well"
If she trust in Jesus as her friend
And drinks from salvation's well

I am not treating her condition lightly
But there is a God Who loves this young woman
And even when she starts to look unsightly
God is still so in love with this young African
He knows when
And He knows how