Water Is Thicker Than Blood Poem by Vangile Mtyali

Daddy how could you?
How could you deny your own flesh and blood
How could you let me go hungry and starve
How could you let me go naked
How could you deny me a better future
How could you let your lover abuse me
And keep quiet about it
How come you never had faith in me
How come you ran way
from you responsibility of raising me
but you had the courage to raise
other children from another man
you loved them, cared for them
and you gave them everything
forgot about your own flesh and blood
how could you live me to die
then I grew up to be a better person
you gloated about my hard work
forgetting that I did this on my own
with my mother on my side
who was also my father at the same time
then I grew up to be a thug
you told everyone what a disgrace I am
and that there is a possibility I’m not you child
I grew up and became a prostitute
you said I was just like my mother
and I was useless
did you think maybe the reason
I turned out like this was because
I lacked a father figure?
and because you did not feed me
and you did not clothe me
and you never gave me a chance to get education
you denied me a bright future
daddy somehow you did contribute to the person
I have become
but I refuse to let you determine
my future, I will turn my live around
instead of being a man, you were a boy
to you water was thicker than blood

Vangile Mtyali

29/04/2009