No Dowry for Broken Hymens by Ashley Moyo

No dowry for broken hymens
Hymens break easily when raised in shaky homes
Grandmother teaches
Once you wed and lie with man, blood is to remain on the sheets as a form of purity
But not all girls get the luxury of giving their virginity by choice
There is always an uncle turning a uterus into an asylum at the family gathering

So for the sake of grandmother’s beliefs
Tonight, when you lie with man
Lie with razors underneath your tongue
Bleed, bleed from anywhere for hymen’s sake
Till the sheets too are under the deception ‘that your purity is leaving for the first time
Let the clans ululate in your deception
Today
There will be a dowry for a broken hymens

Ashley Moyo is an award-winning poet, performer and TEDx speaker from South Africa. Her body of work acts as an aid to begin conversations of healing and reflections within oneself. Her journey began in the world of public speaking being a delegate for the South African International Institute of Affair (SAIIA) and co-chairing the Johannesburg MUN conference.In 2020 she was apart of the (FWWMUN) Future We Want Model United Nations in New York City, where poetry was proposed as a medium to policy making for artists’ mental health. She currently holds 3 slam titles to her name. She is the Narowbi slam champion 2022, TEWOP slam champion 2022 and Night Embassy Slam champion 2022 sponsored by Jägermeister. Her body of work has been heard at book and art festival’s around South Africa.Most of her publications can be found on ODD MAG.