Written by: Elizabeth Joseph
I smear green on my face
With dashes of black for eyebrows
A red squiggle for a mouth
I look like a demon to you
But I am really a warrior.
I’ve smeared a lighter green now,
Hands to face,
South to north
I may appear threatening
But I’m celebrating victory.
I smear it over my face
To cleanse it of the dirt, the colour
North to South
Am I being sculpted?
No, I’m making myself beautiful
Further East,
I’ve painted it front and back
The language we were united to preserve,
The bullets aim for them
And I am silenced forever
Inkling. 