“I do not have any coins,
So for your change
Will you take condoms or
cigarettes?”
Unconsciously she shrinks my choices
To either lung cancer
Or ninety-something-percent
“safe” sex
And the percentage decreases
considerably
If it is your first time
Or the donors gave us an expired batch
She repeats
“Condoms or cigarettes?”
I don’t want lung cancer
I don’t want ten percent unsafe sex
either
So I smile and say;
“It’s okay
You can just keep change”
The poet is a young woman from Bulawayo Zimbabwe who is currently based in Harare Zimbabwe. She is a page poet and a spoken word artist with her work being featured on leading poetry sites such as Badilisha Poetry Radio and Indiefeed Performance Poetry channel. Tinashe believes art can influence society and help change culture…