“The term “widow’s weeds” refers to the black clothing worn (principally) by female widows during the Victorian era, which dictated a strict “etiquette of mourning” that governed both their behaviour and their appearance following the deaths of their husbands.”—From an article titled ‘The Origins and History of Widow’s Weeds’ by Chris Raymond
The colonist force-feeds history
& it throws up new customs.
You wear a dress called Sorry
tailored with the thread of death
blacker than the kettle. Its hem
touches the ankles, ample length
to measure your uprightness
or cover the insufferable truth
of a culture that honours grief
by objectifying the grieving.
It gives: your dignity is glass,
we can see through it. We can
shatter it and scatter the shards
on the path you walk barefooted.
You’ve been told your place —
your head beneath the mountain
into which the sun falls. Still,
you make sunrises out of sunsets.
Dzikamayi Chando was born and bred in Gweru. He believes it was unjust for the International Astronomical Union to downgrade the status of Pluto to a dwarf planet in 2006. He also thinks the one who invented ice-cream was very close to God. You can connect with him on X (formerly Twitter) @dzikamayic. He is also on Facebook.