Ajadu Mkpuke (Cultural Lady) (Igbo Cultural Term) Poem by Tony Cemaluk Egbuonu

Ajadu Mkpuke moves,
Seen but unseen,
Heard but unheard.
Her presence is felt,
Yet she must remain untouched. Unaccessed.

The opposite of Dimkpa —
Adult, unmarried man —
But in a different sphere.
Bound by a code of conduct
Strictly anchored on discipline, decency and decorum.

Ajadu: a widow.
Mkpuke: an unmarried woman.
Ajadu Mkpuke: an unmarried widow?
Imagine. Widow of who?

She is wife-in-waiting,
Yet also wife-in-need to mourn?
Mourn who, please?
She remains unblemished,
Awaiting a suitable suitor to signal.

The load of Ajadu Mkpuke bends the back,
Yet the spine must not show or split.
And it must be carried with grace.
Without grace and manners,
The status becomes a burden, a sentence,
A judgment for the Ajadu Mkpukeship.

The trans-alliteration is not friendly.
The direct translation is very, very harsh for Ajadu Mkpuke,
A simple Igbo Cultural Lady on her lonely lane of life.