People Like Them: Spoken Word
Crushed. Immensely crushed.
Baggages of garbage hang on their minds,
Present. But out of reach. Out of touch.
The voices in their heads play like violins,
you hear them ring: screaming pasts so constantly,
violently. Silence deliberately refuses to speak.
Nothing stills this sound. Nothing numbs this pain.
Lost. Furious, still lost.
The traces of time seem nonexistent — a pointless space.
There’s no clear demarcation between
what was and what is
only the horrifying memories clog this space.
What now? What next?
Should they speak? Or should they connive with silence?
Will their cry for help ever be heard?
These are the days when the voices of the victims are attacked by deafening
silences or roaring insults.
The response is depressing. The weight, unlightened.
Hurt. Broken and broke.
Those who are trusted offer broken
pieces that pierce these open wounds.
They shatter them completely, ignoring
the unbearable shrills.
“Your troubled pasts and present are merely pigments of your imagination“,
that’s what they say.
Alcoholic. Drug addict. Rumour monger. Attention seeker.
These are your new labels that
stick to your personality like a leech.
It’s you against them. Just you. So you
either plant your feet into the Rock and stand
unbothered while the world targets you or
you let their words bury you into the earth.
If only you were shown the Way,
you’d still be here.
Credits:
Written and Performed: Viano Dee
Instrumental: Voices by Patrick Patrikios
About “People Like Them”
People Like Them is a spoken word poetry by Viano Dee that takes a closer look at people who have gone through abuse and have survived but struggle when it comes to dealing with those memories or even talking about such experiences.
The struggle gets worse when they eventually pick up the courage to speak out but are met hostility rather than support. It hurts more when the hate comes from loved ones.
This piece was initially inspired by Jessica Burns, a character from the 2015 movie A Girl Like Her, and later, Renua Giwa-Amu, a 26-year-old Film director who committed suicide after accusing her father of raping her multiple times when she was only 7.
The poet only came across her story a day after she committed suicide (27th December 2020). People Like Them sheds light on abuse (which could come in any form) and the effect it could have on the victim.
There are people like them that genuinely need help. Let’s not punish them with cruel words or silence. We need to reach out and show them the Way.
More on Renua: Her Netflix animation titled The Stick, Her Failed Marriage and Struggles, Renua’s Open Letter To Her Dad, Her Cry For Help (Video)
Related poems: O Vile One, Rectified
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Beautiful poem. And I absolutely agree that we should be open minded about these subjects. It is a very vulnerable subject and should be handled with care with focus help on hands.
I am so sad to hear of the story of Renua! What a tragedy of how she lived her final moments after taking such a strong stand. When reading the poem I loved the “line plant your feet into the Rock and stand unbothered while the world targets you ” . But it seems that Renua tried but sadly let their words bury her into the earth!
This is a tough subject. Pain inflicted by others is a touchy subject by itself without having others tearing you up about it too.
Your work is a powerful and important, your ability to shine a light on difficult subjects with your art is beautiful.
What an inspiring poem! It takes a lot of courage for people to speak about their past abuse; people need to listen to them, not judge them.
Absolutely love it. Suicide is a big deal, shame we don’t treat it as such this side of the world
It’s interesting how a lot of songs were inspired by characters in film. Poetry as well.
This is a beautiful poem and thank you for sharing. Our words can uplift or destroy.
it is a beautiful poem, it reminds me of my late cousin
Its refreshing to hear something different esp this time. Thank you!
I was so moved reading the words of the poetry. Poignant and soulful. You have truly done a commendable job.
This speaks about the sad reality. I hope they find the courage and healing and I agree with you that it important that we genuinely extend help. It is about time we reach out.
This brought tears to my eyes. I hope that I am making sure that I am reaching out to those who might need help and are struggling. In these days, where interaction with others is less, it seems people are struggling more.
That’s true, Jessica. A lot of people are suffering. We must try to reach out as often as we can.
The lines “If only you were shown the Way, you’d still be here.” really saddens you . Hope we can find ways to reach out to folks in need and help in some way and as you rightly say not punish them with cruel words or silence. Thanks for spreading the awareness.
Thank you for reading, InspireN Blogger. We all need to start paying attention to people around us.
Ahhh Renua. Smdh. The whole sorry story was just too tragic for words. Ptsd and trauma from that awful experience and knowing Naija as is, it’ll be forgotten because of who her father is. It’s already forgotten cos it’s not trending on FB anymore. May she rest well. Hmmn.
Yeah, Kemi. It’s an incredibly sad and unfortunate story.
Yeah, Kemi. It’s an incredibly sad and unfortunate story.
Beautiful Viano. Too many have suffered trauma in some form, and if they haven’t personally they know someone who has. It’s so important to realize that trauma and abuse isn’t just physical or sexual, verbal assaults are like paper cuts that run a mile deep.
Wow, thank you for helping to change the narrative on abuse. Usually, people who are abused do some abusing that can make others hate them but they are really just hurting.
As usual your words are lovely, touching… I liked the music here!
This is so powerful. An incredible reminder not only of the impact that abuse can have on a victim, but of the difference that the rest of us can make by keeping our eyes open to offer support when needed. Whether that’s stopping an abusive situation earlier by noticing that something’s ‘off’ or being there as a source of support to help the individual navigate the hard road of healing.
I actually listened to your reading this time rather than reading it just on my own. I found your emphasis of the spoken words beautiful. I know we have all dealt with some sort of pain from abuse whether small verbal or larger physical. If only we can find a way to heal and move forward from those ghosts that haunt us.
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