How could he

How could he

How could he do it I do not know,
I wanted to kill the little so and so.
What he did was not right,
Not today or any other night.

I feel so hurt by what he did,
for even at nineteen she is still a kid.
My own daughter is only fourteen,
It could have been her know what I mean.

Rape can there be a harsher crime,
It is the victim who suffers a long time.
There is no punishment that is good enough,
Maybe a room of mothers let them do their stuff.

So listen fathers around this land,
Do me a favour and take your son in hand.
Women need to feel that they can trust us still,
It could be your son that I have to kill.

For if it was him who raped my daughter,
He'd be like a lamb ready for the slaughter.
So help me out and do me a favour,
Let's make this land a little safer.

This poem has been selected for publication by The Poetry Institute of Africa in their Anthology of Verse for the year 2002. It has also been selected for publication by The International Library of Poetry in their Anthology entitled "Under a Quicksilver Moon".