Menarche Poem by Alan Kabanshi

What is it, which a man longs for?
When a heart anxiously receives surprises’ from time?
What is it about a branch that attracts a bird to lay a nest?
Or about the night, that stars multiply
To reveal a nakedness in a sparkling sky

I have beheld the beauty in daughters of men
Yet nothing compares to the satisfaction of her glitter
Boldly she settles foot in a step towards me
In silk-dark and shiny long hair, with her smooth clear light-dark tone skin
Which highlights her beauty
Beyond the moons pride on a clear night
Founding my belief in incomparable completeness
Inhalation of her fragrance I wish not to exhale
And vividly with joy I attain menarche
Though my coming of age bestows heartache
But yet again, I conceal my excitement in pain
As I whirl in emotions beyond my being
Unfolding it all, I stand to question
Should I fight it or let it be?

2009