I am seventeen
The moon giggles shyly and caresses the skies
Sipi Falls cascade in a wave of excitement.
I waltz with the falls downstream
A tinge of warmth engulfs me
My feet rub…
My future.

The village awakes
It is the rite season
The search…
She descends with a knife
I grip my tears and wash her thirst
She scoops.

I shift…
The soothing sounds of Sipi stand at a distance
Muffled by a stiffness… a pain
A lonely pain
My womanhood is robbed
I have become a woman…
My future.

***

Link to the Italian translation