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 Feb 2019 Mariam Shittu
imai
She controls her laughter,
lets it slip from the edge of her mouth,
the corners of her lips lift ever so slightly,
then, she makes a sound,
seamlessly, her fingers graze my thighs,
smoothly, her eyes meet mine,
and in her eyes, I see my reflection—
aflame, abashed, and fiery,

She is the answer I’ve scoured the world for,
and yet, she, herself, remains a mystery,

Ah, I see,
She controls her laughter
as easily as she controls me.
 Feb 2019 Mariam Shittu
Joliver
Okay
 Feb 2019 Mariam Shittu
Joliver
If there was one word
One word, isolated by itself
That I cannot stand above all others
It would have to be "Okay"
I despise "Okay"
"Okay"
Is how your millionth day at work went
"Okay"
Is off-brand raisin bran
"Okay"
Is how you say life is going
When you don't want to admit you spend
Every second of it
Wanting to die

"Okay"
Is packed to the brim with
Hidden implications
Like a treasure chest
Filled with bottles
With little subliminal hatreds
Written on tiny slips of paper
Passively aggressively pushed inside
To discover later
As I pull out a treasure map
And try to decipher
Where I went wrong

"Okay"
Is a one word dismissal
That feels like an essay a thousand pages long
"Okay"
Is a poison dripping with disinterest
When I dared to share with you
Something I thought might make you smile
"Okay"
Is like trying to talk to a wall
While watching the paint on it dry
"Okay"
Takes two seconds to write
Yet I waited days
For that dreaded word
To grace my notifications
"Okay"
Should be used sparingly
As if each time you send it
You **** the receiver just a little bit
"Okay"
Should not be said so often that
I know what you're about to say
Like I saw it in a crystal ball
"Okay"
Is not looking up from your phone
When I tell you about my day
"Okay"
Is not the proper response
To "I love you"

They say that the opposite of love isn't hatred
It's indifference
And I can't think of a response
More indifferent to pouring out
My heart into your hands
Than "Okay"
At least the last thing you said to me
Before we parted ways
Showed that you cared
At least a little bit
"I hate you"
Stung less
Than the thousands of times
Over our countless conversations
You responded
"Okay"
Okay?
Living an unhappy
life with fake smiles.


A cowardly way to
avoid your trials.


Much like hiding
behind brick walls.


Your simply not living


at all.
Don’t hide, attack your problems,
head on
.
Midnight sees a chain
of lights,
heading into the forest
so dark.

Follow the Will-O the Wisp
at night,
walk with the lone wolf
that barks.

Take that step into the unknown, the path that leads to me,
and I'll be waiting there somewhere, deep within the trees.

So walk that long path
in peace,
follow your dream as
it winds.

Keep purpose in plain sight
to release,
love that is not left
behind.



© Pagan Paul (13/01/19)
.
 Jan 2019 Mariam Shittu
Emily
The passion of two young lovers is enough to ignite a star.

They trust,
despite the uncertainty of their world.

They care,
despite the apathy of their world.

They love,
despite the fact that they are only words.
There is art
In your heart
Painting pictures
When I lay
My head down on your chest

There are songs in your eyes
Singing lullabies
When you hover
Pin me down
With your stare

There is a poem
On the tip
Of your tongue
I taste it
When I kiss you

You are tortured
Stereotyped
My jaded lover
I hear it
When you won't talk
 Jan 2019 Mariam Shittu
RA
short ii
 Jan 2019 Mariam Shittu
RA
the gap between filling my eyes
with your picture and running
my lips down your thighs, kissing
you so that fold appears
between your eyebrows, filling
my mouth with you, watching you unfold
beneath me and tracing
every letter in this unending love letter I would like to play out for you on every soft space you inhabit
is unbearable.
I don't know how to stop missing you.

ajf

17:53
January 18, 2019
The sun and moon sharing the sky
Their love radiating from opposite edges of life's greatest masterpiece
When looking up at the amazing beauty of the sun and moon out at the same time on opposite sides of the sky.
There is nothing more powerful than that connection.
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