Dolly

Nkechi asked me how she looked

And I said”you look just like Barbie”

For a second I thought I’d thrown the best shade ever

The type Nigerians throw on Twitter

Only for her blushes to tell me

“You just handed her the best compliment ever”

And in a silent awe I wondered

Does she feel better cartoon than human?

Does her confidence come from being plastic?

Would she rather be fiction than reality itself?

Nkechi spends hours in the mirror

Trying to hide herself, from herself

Just imagine,

Days ago on my way home

I saw Nkechi in a fashion store

Recklessly I called out for her, all to no response

And to my greatest surprise, she wasn’t

It was a mannequin she shared same features with