how can a person smell so warm?
as if they are the spring sun
shining down on us.
it's one of the sweetest things.
love engulfs you, cradles you and
fills that hollowness you've
had for so long.

what about their kind eyes?
the ones that reassure you
and confirm that every thing
will be alright. the very same
that hold you still every now
and then to remind you
that you're okay.

when their hands follow the
raised hairs on your arms,
stroking softly. a loving
gesture saying, "i'm right here,
i'm not going anywhere."

do you see you?
because I do.

Afiifa Jeylani©

my mind is soft and malleable,
my heart is exactly the same.
i resent myself for it and get
angry again and again.
i crave the same as others do
when no one's in the room.
i want lasting companionship,
really and truly, i do.

i shed tears to God and ask
to fix what is wrong. i know
it's a test, but for how long?
my mind is a never ending maze.
every nook and cranny,
and whichever corner i go to
there is more to see.
dear God, fix what's wrong with
me.

my anger gets the best of me,
my mother has always said.
i use harsh words at the ones
i love and then i'm hit with regret.
words don't go back, they destroy
whatever good you had.

so i cry time and time again.

Afiifa Jeylani ©️

the words leaving my lips silence my mind.
i cannot think when i hear my own voice loud and clear.
your noise can't drown my thoughts, they're too strong i fear.

my thoughts won't allow me to focus,
they overpower my speech sometimes
maybe this is the downside to having a reel playing, non-stop

my perception of people blurred by those same words in my head,
it's so loud in there, i can't think for myself
i'm in the back

Afiifa Jeylani ©

drown in my eyes while you profess your love
they're too dark for you to know if i can accept your love

rain or shine
these brown eyes
are far too wise
and will easily see through the lies

they have cried far too many times to be fooled twice
so, dear, drown in my eyes while you profess your love

i want to be sure the blacks of your eyes widen when you meet my gaze, for when that happens, you enter the maze

drown in the darkness that is my gaze,
you will find my love at the end of the maze.

Afiifa Jeylani ©️

Scramble for Africa,
Like pieces on a board game
North, south, east and west
Plains leading every way.

They don't have Bibles,
they don't have faith?
Perhaps it is time
we teach them of our ways.

Let us begin by erasing their past,
let's take some of their artefacts,
hang them in our museums;
admire our murderous past.

Afiifa Jeylani ©️

I’m blossoming out as a black orchid.
Rooted in depression city,
I’m building a new fortress.
Isolated minds coming forth with their negative notions.
I’m not with that, I’m cooking up a new potion.

I keep my head up high.
I’m determined to reach past the skies,
grasp the stars and reach far enough.
Enough so I can see my dreams clear for me and the path laid out for my steps to seek.
It’s my time to go and it’s my time to play.

Black orchid will reach the golden gate.


Afiifa Jeylani ©️