What Happened, to Me?
I miss the days
When I’d play soccer with my sisters
& run around playing in the choicest mud.
I miss the days
When I’d worry less about how I looked
& what people thought about me.
What happened, to me?
All of sudden, life grabbed me & slammed
me into a wall of worrisome.
I wake up everyday with a headache,
bleary-eyed & stressed out.
My nights are spent over-thinking my life’s choices.
Even in my dreams, I still ponder.
I wish I could go back to when I was younger;
when I’d dance in the rain
& somersault till I felt nauseous.
Life was so much easier then –
when I thought being alive was simply breathing.
What happened, to me?!
Stacks
I’m a traveler but I’ve never
left the four walls of my home.
There’s a TV and
My feet up on a low stool
And the world just below that
From dusk till dawn, my gaze is held
hostage by this meshed screen of dots
blurring horizons and crisping shapes and hues.
My kindly mother
would serve me rice & my favorite stew
laced with love; and I,
I tell her I’ve been to London
but all she does is chuckle & pat my head.
She doesn’t know, that every night
I tour the world, basking in the playlisted
recordings in my head,
stacks of them.
All The Things I Hate
I hate that when I’m out in the world
I feel like I’m lost & drowning in an ocean.
I hate that the sun & the moon keep chasing themselves
yet I am always chasing after myself.
I hate that everyday feels like a chapter in a book
yet all my pages are starkly blank.
I hate that every time I close my eyes
my tongue begins to taste the things I may never have.
I hate that all I’ve ever done is survive
& I’ve never for one day lived.
Praise Osawaru, also known as Wordsmithpraise, is a writer, poet, content developer and entrepreneur-in-training. He’s an undergraduate at the University of Benin, Nigeria. His works have been featured in Sprinng Literary Movement (SLM) website and Writers Space Africa (WSA). He was also a finalist in Clash Of Pen Poetry Contest 2019, longlisted for African Writers Award 2019 & Shortlisted For The Zi Prize 2019.
Praise also blogs about art & literature on his blog – www.wordsmithpraise.com. Connect with him on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook: @wordsmithpraise
Discussion12 Comments
I admire your prowess the most Praise. Happy birthday
Thanks for reading & wishing me a happy birthday. 💙
I can relate to stark very well. Sometimes, I feel that I know people of varying cultures and race, just because of the books I’ve read and movies I’ve watched. All the things I hate is so deep and beautiful. I love it❤
Thanks. I’m so glad you love me 💙
I’m so glad you love my poems **
Nice write-up Praise
Nice writes up my powerful JC. Keep it up and happy birthday bro llnp…
What a great and touching Poem you’ve written….. . More grace to your hand to write more
Three poem vs Three comment ( lol)
1. This is a nice one Bro keep it up
2. Happy Birthday
3. As you grow old you gonna travel round the world like you’ve always planned.
I love Ur work, I too really miss the days were I only got to worry about playing in the rain, but now things have changed, life has happened to everyone growing up. Your words are inspiring, keep up the good work. I am a die hard fan of your work
All nice reads, I like “All things I hate’ in particular,, talk of being alive and feel you’re not really living,….loneliness…, i connect to that.
Taking my time to read these is totally worth it.
I can relate well to The things I hate and what happened to me.
I really love these writings #WORDSMITHPRAISE