I was swimming in the endless ocean I had unconsciously led my mind to
I was pretty good at swimming
But my coach should have told me that my skills were useless
Against the river bank of doubt and hopelessness
I picked up my phone and tried to look for a source of light
in my 3000+ contacts on my WhatsApp
That was when it dawned on me that not everyone
with the most used red emoji saved with their contacts were my friends
“You look all happy and expensive, nothing can be your problem”
The words of my favorite bootlickers
At least now I know how to set the bricks
and arrange everyone according to where they stand in my circle
My real friends lent their hands and extended their light to wrap me up like a blanket
It dawned on me that I had the strength
I could swim the turbulent waters and still come out victorious
Most times a success story with a lot of tragedy seems to be a blockbuster
I don’t have to worry about the scars of their canines on my skin
A good skin plug would do the magic
Neither do I have to worry about the offensive odor of their despise towards me
A good deodorant would not only leave me smelling like lilies in the dawn of day
but radiate towards them to block their stench off my olfactory lobe
Cos, I stand strong
Even when I fall
I would rise again and again like the dawn of day
Cos, I stand strong
Strong and firm like mount Everest
Free and flowing like the Atlantic Ocean
They don’t see the pain
They don’t know the sacrifices behind my smile
But In this canal street
I stand strong!
ABANA ASABE RHODA_ © 2022
@Rhealyz Africa