For the Queens of Zimbabwe

[Charlesjoseph]

Hi Chazz, not familiar with the specific issues the poem is raising. I get female genital mutilation and possibly cannibalism from the content.

I think this poem suffers some because it's dealing with a heavy topic, and it is mostly making statements rather than drawing us into either a narrative, or allowing the imagery to do the work. Let me give you an example, that you may have already read, of what I'm talking about (equally tough topic handled by Lucille Clifton). Maybe her poem will illustrate some ideas, and help.

shapeshifter poems

Best,

Todd

Hey todd,
Thanks for the example. Yea this is new ground for me. I recently watched a documentary that messed my head up a bit. Not to go into too much detail the core content was that healers in zimbabwe tell men that if they sleep with a virgin that it will cure them of hiv/aids. Sounds preposterous but it's a horrible reality considering the century that we are currently living in. I think i know what i need to do now to fix this.
thanks,
Chazz