Today, I will not go home,
Home, the coziest place in the world,
Filled with the laughter of children
And the smell of roasted maize.
Today, I will miss my dogs’ greetings,
Because I’ve been accused
Of a crime I did not commit—
The crime of talking with a lady,
The crime of helping a lady in trouble,
A crime declared by my lady. She was the judge, and I tried
To defend my side, to prove my truth.
The rain all day is not the pain,
The cracked roads are not the strain,
But the punishment I gave myself—
To leave home for a moment of peace. I will talk with my chair,
The chair that bears my burden,
Never complaining about me.
I will spend the whole night in my office,
For it feels a safer place
Than my home tonight.