The Cut

The horrors of female circumcision

In a gynae ward of muffled cries
"Sukuma, sukuma," the nurses urge
They groan under African skies
Pains in turgid bellies surge

A sufferer lies there, limp and drained
Torment in waves, her womb to seize
Her passage by thick scars, constrained
Life trapped in her, asking release

She bears the brutal cuts of the past
Rituals rooted in sick beliefs
A scythe in her infancy, cast
Cruel its cut, though swift and brief

She pushes and pushes to no avail
Between her and her child they loom
Forefathers, all distinctly male
Their shadows filling up the stark room

A glinting cleaver comes to life
For they know a knife alone can fix
That which has been marred by a knife
When flesh turns into a wall of bricks

Slashing the wounds of yesterday
The blade carves out in her a door
Out comes life in a bloodied spray
The baby crowns in raw filth and gore

She slips into a stupor very dark
Stitched up with the coarsest of threads
Rewarded for her pain with more marks
She lies unseen in her childbed



*Sukuma: ‘Push’ in Kiswahili, an East African dialect.

Author's Note

“When it happened to me, I was held down by my own mum.” - A Kenyan leader.

Reviews

[Belle]

Your poem powerfully exposes how a woman's suffering in childbirth is inseparable from the violence done to her body in the name of traditiion, showing how female circumcision turns the act of giving life into a scene of trauma shaped by patriarchy and inherited cruelty; by returning to the knife as both the cause of harm and the desperate means of survival, you reveal the tragic cycle in which male-made rituals scar women physically and spiritually, while their pain remains unseen even at the moment of birth, making the poem not just a narrative of one woman's ordeal but a fierce indictment of belief systems that normalize suffering and erase the voice of women.

Powerful.

I am truly happy to see you and to read you again, Divya!
I come back here every now and then and I always miss those golden days with friends and fellow travelers like you!

[DIVYA]

Dear Belle,
Thank you so much for appreciating poem! I had seen such a childbirth and the utter suffering that accompanied it. Sadly, the cruelty meted out to women is often normalized, as you said, as their due, their lot. Something they owe the system, the culture. So, it's a privildege to write about such things, and an even greater one to be read and appreciated. Your encouraging words will help me go on. Indeed, its wonderful to see you too! I too miss those wonderful days when the cafe was alive with friends and such lovely sharing of thoughts and words. Thank you!

[Einstein Noodle]

oh Divya ... your poem is so raw and powerful ... a loud, strong voice for those who suffered and still suffer that horrible, cultural brutality .. well done .. it's and issue not often brought to my mind and reading your poem enlightens my prayers right now .. blessing Divya ... luv and hugs
E.

[DIVYA]

Dear E,

My heartfelt thanks for feeling this poem! Your thoughts so appreciated!
read moreDear E,

My heartfelt thanks for feeling this poem! Your thoughts so appreciated!
Missed you! Sending you much love for the New Year, my dear friend. ❤️

[DIVYA]

My responses are getting truncated here. Missed you, my dear friend. Sending you much love on New Year.
💕

[JMichael]

A brutal ritual captured with honesty and realism. Some customs adopted by certain peoples still belong in the dark ages but remain in practice still today.

A difficult subject matter skilfully conveyed here.

[DIVYA]

Yes, very difficult indeed. There's so much beyond belief in this world. Never ceases to shock me. Thank you for appreciating my effort, dear JM. I worked quite a bit on this piece. ❤️