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In: Anthology

date night – Sibulelo Manamatela

 

we eat          pineapples    until our vaginas are sugar for     all our lovers
have a sweet tooth    on date night        the knives on the table are pointing
at him you’re holding        a gun with   no          bullets       it is just a trigger
he thinks it is nice    to be eaten    by a vagina      sweet tooth
turned decay and     cavity you  too hot sometimes too cold
your vagina is the trigger            always too much no.        you frustrate everyone who
comes   after him   with your needles and threads     trying to stitch your legs    together
always no     always raped always trying to become                        unraped
stitchingyourlegstogether finding triggers counting legsneedlesteethknivesvagina statistics
                                                                                                                                                    trig
gered.


Sibulelo Manamatela, 23, is a poet from South Africa. Her poems can be found in Best ‘New’ African Poets 2018Sol Plaatjie European Union Poetry Anthology Vol. VIIIType/Cast Issue 5Poetry Potion 013, and elsewhere. She is currently pursuing a degree in Creative Writing.