At sixteen Martha outgrew her age,
Thinking to herself, 'I've come of age'.
'Am I not old enough?' She asked in folly,
Captivated by a lifestyle, indubitably phoney.

Mama and papa sought Martha's indulgence
Giving her advice to which she gave no audience.
'Stay away from the male gender', the duo said
But the forbidden fruit she did choose to be fed
With, triggered by post-primary infatuation.

Three months gone and still counting,
Martha's now heavy, nauseous and panting.
Feeble and ignorant, she stays indoors solo,
Only if she had another life to borrow?
Speech-impaired now, Martha could only weep ad infinitum!

'My period, my period, my period', she screams,
Unaware of souls present, like one who dreams.
'What is wrong with me? Is this not abnormal?'
She baffed and baffed; running hither and thither for a puke; restless and restless.


'What's wrong my daughter? You look pale
And lethargic these days, no goddamn fairytale.'
'I don't know mama, for I haven't had the flow',
She said forlornly as the eye-waters grow,
Running down like European gentlemen on a voyage.
'Could this be the result of the the forbidden fruit? Has the serpent deceived you, too?' The mum asked tearfully?

Tears ubiquitous, imbuing the whole domicile
Like the River Nile...
'What's going on here?' Asked Dad
Aware of the going-on dad got mad.
'Get out of my house' Dad screamed with a machete,
Deaf to Mum's plea on Martha's behalf, so irate.

'Shame, shame, shame', Martha now lives in shame;
Sauntering hither and thither like a junkie with ill-fame.
'Had I known!' She exclaims nonstop
Ah, she really thought she was on the world's top.

No more joy, no more hope,
Martha, now, can hardly cope.
As poor as a church rat Martha now is,
Strumpetting now and then, a wanton she is.
Nocturnal she is, a thousand men she knew in the Biblical sense,
Semi-schooled, she can hardly use a tense.

Year after year, Martha strumpets,
In the room blowing men's trumpets.
Visiting the laboratory, Martha's now tearful
Had she heeded the advice to be careful.
Had she not engaged in this insane activity,
She'd not have had this incurable HIV.

Martha's plight, Martha's plight...
Ah, indeed life's like a flight!