What Is Vulnerability? Poem by Njousi Abang

What Is Vulnerability?



When volcanoes erupt and
Their ashes upon us tumble down
Man is vulnerable to all odds
When thunder strikes and storms
And floods flow, man is simply
Dismembered and dislodged
When acid rain fall and colocassia
Rots and the harvest is destroyed,
Man simply hangs his head
In helpless pain wherever it pains,
When the mangoes ripen
All at the same time in all compounds
And there is no ready-made market
Or a place to keep the extras as they rot
Then can you see man's helplessness
When the droughts come and go
Leaving fields dry bare of fruits
For people to take home and eat,
Man is simply disenfranchised.
When the land slides down the slope
And earthquakes strike and shake
And sweep our property and kinsmen
We can only pitifully stand by and weep.
When a wanton driver runs off the road
And many perish in his car,
What else could the passengers have done?
When society imposes roles on us
And makes it near impossible for
Women to state their cases for the love they crave,
What do you expect of gender equality?
Vulnerable men and women find it difficult
To undo emotional, mental, physical
And psycho-spiritual blocks to their survival
Be they man-made or natural

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