Fatimah Akanbi

WHIPS

Their backs are laden with loads
They are held at stranglehold
And dragged by hefty ropes
Away from their homes

Then the dictators
Watch from lofty windows
As their sweat sizzles in the sun
And their skins succumb
To the lash of callous whips


Fatimah's YouTube reading of "Whips"


Fatimah confesses: "The inspiration for this poem came from a course I recently took on slavery and colonial history in school."

FATIMAH AKANBI writes fiction and poetry. She has been writing since she was five, and is currently pursuing a degree in Information Technology at the University of Ilorin. Her works have appeared or are forthcoming on Sudden Flash, Star*Line, and Academy of the Heart and Mind. She is @legendary.scribe on Instagram.