I walk down the streets of Footscray
greeted by the familiar faces, smells and sounds of what white Australia fears the most;
multiculturalism
and a lot of Africans
the streets of Footscray
a place where welcome can be translated into many languages
I enter this space where I fit in with the masses
where I am no longer a foreigner; my skin no longer shouts threat
yet
I walk down the streets of Footscray
and I am reminded that I am no longer a woman, but an object
as I pass the outdoor cafe areas, where men old enough to be my father sit
drinking tea, voices loud, speaking languages I grew up hearing
I can see their eyes undressing the innocence from my body
I watch as their mouths open
drooling, hungry for what they think my young body has to serve
in their wrinkled faces I see a man, a father, a husband
a predator, ready to jump out at me
wanting a taste of this fresh meat
this is what I am to them
I walk down the streets of Footscray
I feel the stones in my stomach rolling
I feel my younger self hiding from their dark eyes
the steam from their tea cups escapes into the open air
I walk down the streets of Footscray
wishing I could escape, too
I am reminded of the time a man once said, jokingly, un bi yen thiak
a ‘joke’ we too often hear
I walk down the streets of Footscray
my eyes scanning the streets, my feet picking up the pace
trying to avoid a man whose teeth hang loose
whose eyes don’t see me, only see another addition to the collection of women he calls wife
I’m not even old enough to buy a drink at a bar but I’m old enough to be barred by a piece of metal around my finger, by a man twice my age
being a young girl means being vulnerable and fragile enough for them to enter, enough to break into this temple I call a body
I walk down these of Footscray
no longer a woman
but an object
Cover image by orderinchaos via Wikimedia Commons
About the author
Nyakour is an unapologetic 17-year-old African-Australian spoken word artist and poet. She is a pro-black intersectional feminist, tea drinking vegetarian goddess, with hella views on topics that effect not only herself but other people of colour. Her work is inspired by African culture, her environment and experiences as a young queer black woman living in Australia. For Nyakour poetry is a way of healing and connecting with others through words both written and spoken.