This is a story about a young woman at the age of 20 through a series of events, makes her question her identity. First she is faced with the fact that her mother may have had an affair, and that who she thinks is her father is not. Then she is faced with the fact that she may not be white, that in fact her mother may have had an affair with a black man.
This realisation makes her reflect on her past, and how she was brought up, and why her hair was a big issue as a child. It is an event at a hairdresser which forces her not to be in denial, and confront her worst fears. In doing so, she finds out not only that man who she believes to be her father is not, but the woman she also believes to be her mother is not her mother either. Through an emotional show down her parents, confess to her that she was adopted. And this spiral the protagonist in search of her identity.
However still in denial and shock she refuses to do anything about it, and so her boyfriend is the one who begins the search. This search takes the protagonist and boyfriend into some taboo areas of life. Swinging parties, eroticism between siblings (when they have not grown up together), and the fear that the two of them may actually be brother and sister.
When the boyfriend finds her biological mother, he forces his girlfriend to meet with her. And it is the rejection from her biological mother which makes her wake up to her identity. Her biological mother confesses to conceiving her at a swinging party, gives her a business card, and tells her to leave and never come back. From the name on the card she realise she is part African, that propels her in to an unexpected journey.
new poetic monologue
THE PERFECT ROAD
This is a 20 minute performance – with sound track. I use poetic forms like sonnets, couplets, villanelles and haiku’s to explore the taboos of sexual abuse in the parental home.