POETRY COMPETITION WINNERS!

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Poet: John Thuo Mwangi

Category: Struggle

Title of Poem: Should I have bothered?

To the encroaching dark of night,

You bowed underneath,

Your mind and body eluding above thee!

Contended by the perspire of a breath much lived,

You whimsied and followed the treads of the dark!

Hoping that death would offer you the solace you so longed for!

For when alive, your heartbeat to every earth's chaos

But what to expect when buried underneath and yet so much within?

Perhaps, when alive, I should have asked how deep your wounds ran,

Now visibly hidden across the contours of your perfect countenance,

Maybe then I would understand why you had to squeeze the life out of you,

A life well lived? Huh?

What about the tears I so hastily dismissed yesterday,

The evening peals of laughter I so effortlessly misunderstood,

The morning chatter that always seemed to begin with you but end up about me?

Never was a moment I ceased to ask how your day was at the bay,

Fondled with your insecurities as I did with you every night,

Assuring you, there was beauty in everything,

If only you had the courage to see,

The desire to keep on trying.

Wasn't my love enough to help you push through the pain?

Was it?

Remember our vows?

Through thick and thin, we promised.

Rain, come sun, we assured the many that attended,

But never did to each other.

I swore to protect you,

To stand by you,

Why didn't you let me?

Is it wrong that I stand here selfishly questioning you, your corpse?

Honey, talk to me, if not every day, just one last time.

Did you think this was right?

Do you expect me to write a story of how well you lived?

To ponder about the demons you 'purportedly' kept at bay?

My heart still bleeds from your tender touches,

But to love you forever is a question my heart can no longer answer.

I hope you got the solace you so much longed for!

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Poet: John Thuo Mwangi

Category: Struggle

Title of Poem: Can You Blame Me?

I was touched,

Not the kind that loves so deep,

That which waits for the bare seeds to protrude from the ground,

Nudging through the rocks, pushing each aside as though to bear witness to the

fruit buried deep within.

No,

Not the kind that waits through the cold night, weak and weary,

Tightly drawn to the fireplace just so sunlight can kiss its darkness and birth a new

day,

No,

Not the kind that holds just right and patiently awaits for the full moon to caress

the contours of her body, the perfect imperfections.

No!

Mine knew no love,

It watched me from afar,

Unbeknownst to me, It crept in,

Once, when I was coming home from school,

But my mother, Ooh mother!

She shrugged and just as quickly dismissed it,

Can't blame anyone for being a tad too affectionate, She claimed.

Twice, when I was lying in bed,

Greedily he jumped onto me,

With his gnarled hands clenching onto my feeble shoulders,

The freight of his chest crushing onto mine,

Erasing every bit of love I held dear,

In...out...in...out. Done!

Partner,

Can you then blame me for not knowing but a tender love that which you pour me

every day?

Can you blame me for opening up just a bit for you to sneak in long enough to

leave but a little warmth to assure me that I am still alive?

For in the cold, I have found comfort,

In pain, quenched my thirst,

And every scar plastered on my body; a scathing story buried deep within.

Can you then blame me for twitching from the touch of your loving arms just so my

body can tell the difference?

Can you then blame me for not knowing but a different touch, a different love?

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Poet: Harriet Ruvimbo

Category: Relationships

Title of Poem: Easy Like Sunday Morning

my dark knight

what I’d do to see you smile at me again

turns out you’re the cure to my writer’s block

turns out you’re the only one whose hand I wanna hold

be held by, be held in

you,

my muse,

you inspire worlds in me I never knew

reminding me of Sunday mornings

slow, simple and sweet

easy and free to get lost in

Keeping it holy in 10 ways

keeping it clear on the freeway

my love.

man of my dreams

I’m ready to give your folks a trophy for the man that you are

In love with all you are

I should’ve let you take me

slow.

should’ve let you shine.

I done messed around and fell for you

like that blind spot, I didn't attend to

like that LinkedIn trial, I forgot to cancel

now I’m linked in and stuck

tryna figure out who set me up with these feelings

turns out I signed up freely and forgot to let my heart know when to stop feeling.

can you call me back?

can we check this vibe again?

we can wipe the slate clean,

if you could give me another chance to

show you my devotion

show you that I meant it when I said

I want you

I hope you know my arms are always there

for you to fall into

for you to call home

so

let me holla at you,

let me love you again.

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Poet: Aniekan Ekefre

Category: Identity

Title of Poem: Kaleidoscope

We all have things that hurt us

We all have people that warn us

We all have thoughts that drown us

But we don't all have you

It hurts to see you

When I know, I can't feel you

Because you are no more the ying to my yang

You became my kryptonite and Red sun

Suns bring light and happiness

Suns shouldn't bring darkness and sadness

Suns clear the heavy clouds

You can't be my sun, and I am happy

Happy for all the memories

Happy that they will stay memories

Happy for all the bad times

Happy you molded me through those times

Times start and end

Time with you has ended

The day smells fresh, and the clouds are a mixture of light and darkness

I think I have found my forever

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