I spent my life in a haze, a suspended animation
With every breath taking me farther from the surface
And every sigh pulling me deeper into the void.
I never had grand ambitions, nor did I keep any lofty aspirations
For which one would have to fight or kill
I simply tried to live
And yet life dealt me hands as though I committed immutable sins
Wrongs of which I had no recollection.
I was quite the tragedy; onlookers would often shake their heads in pity.
Some said death would be a kindness
Even I thought that,
But refrained, solely because of hope
A promise, one I knew the universe was sure to keep.
To it I cleaved, no matter how low I sunk
I believed, that you
The seas and tides would someday bring.
And as though emerging from my most recent thoughts
Here you are!
With more brilliance than I could have ever imagined.
Giving me beauty for ashes
Making my darkness into light
I always knew that you would come,
That one day,
You, my redemption would dawn.
—
Titilope Elizabeth Taiwo, also known as Elizabeth the Violet Writer, is an alumna of the College of Medicine of the University of Lagos. She works as the secretary of a non-profit organisation called Anita Harris Empowerment Foundation, an NGO dedicated to empowering indigent children. She is currently working on publishing her first poetry book, which is a collection of 35 poems. She resides in Lagos, Nigeria, with her mom and siblings.
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Read – Whispers of the Soul – A Poem by Saidou Anna Ibn Ahmad – The Gambia
