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January 15th, 2026
by Aisha Sideeqoh Kuti
Why is my nose so small?
Does it complement my whole face?
Fingers are not equal, my mummy told me.
No not only my mummy, I saw it myself.
I traced them together but
are they really not equal?
Maybe a little stretch
and my pinky would match the other.
that thought – it reeks of a spoilt meal
like a dead rat in a hole
after being chased by a cat –
It ended up in a trap.
My teeth are bucked outside.
When are we going to want us?
My eyes are too big.
When are we going to want us?
Live and laugh, is that the purpose?
Or is it live and judge?
The black, the white –
I can't rip me out of my own skin.
Forgive me, I stopped being friends
with the concealer and the blush
with the lipstick and the contour.
Remind me how I looked
before you told me what to be.
Remind me about the hooded eyes
without the mascara, I stare in the mirror.
No, my lips are not too thin.
No, my lashes are great, and
my breath is not too loud and
my legs are not wobbled and
my body is beautiful.
I am me – I don't want to be another me.
Please let me be me.
About the Poet
Aisha Sideeqoh Kuti resides in Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria.
Read the poet's biography and Wax Poetry and Art publications
on Aisha Sideeqoh Kuti's Artist Page.
This poem is featured in Comet #7, published in the Wax Poetry and Art Library.
Keywords: beauty, societal pressure
Previously published in Nigeria Poetry Magazine:
Night I Love
by Isowa Ohonbamu
Nigeria Poetry Magazine is part of the Wax Poetry and Art Network.
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