Submit your work, meet writers and drop the ads. Become a member
 
  Dec 2018 Ikimi Festus
Mikaila
Gazing up at the sky with that stupid grin on my face
Radiant with undisguised joy
I said
Thank you for hanging out with me.
I didn’t mean that
Not exactly
And I don’t believe you think I did-
I think you saw through me
Completely.
You looked at me sidelong
And I blushed,
Having just seen
Forests and deserts and oceans in your eyes
Having just seen the world all wrapped up in a person
Looking at me
And been
Overwhelmed.

See?-
I can’t just say
What I mean.

Especially not when what I mean is
Thank you
For ever being near me in this world.
Thank you for the nights I’ve given up sleep
To sit and watch the light seep through my curtains, lost in the strange beauty of your dreams and thoughts and ideas.
Thank you for your art
That digs its way into my heart and takes root there
Making me vibrant inside.
Thank you for those times I’ve spent
Happily close to you
The warmth like sunlight that spreads through me whenever I see you.
Thank you for the beauty I notice in the world
When I think about you-
The broken glass on my street
Suddenly like fallen stars.
The little weeds that push valiantly up through the cracks
Like mighty trees.
The lights spilling over the pavement
Like dawn.
Thank you for
The chance to feel
Alive.
Thank you for knowing me.
Thank you for letting me in.
Thank you for letting me in even though you know me.
Thank you for the image of an odd, smart, wonderful little kid
Asking mom what color her A was.
Thank you for the tenderness that brought to my heart.
Thank you for your stories and your courage and your wit.
Thank you for looking at me with gentleness.
Thank you for giving me some of your time.
Thank you for your passions, your dark, angry moments,
The beautiful, bitter hurt you carry inside of you and let me witness like a storm at sea
But always shelter me from being touched by.
Thank you for being the kind of person
Who struggles to understand being loved
But does not rage against it.
Thank you for being kind.
Thank you for being complicated.
Thank you for being strong, and insightful, and wicked, and bold.
Thank you for hoping I’ll be happy.
Thank you for making me happy.
Thank you for the moments when I can look at your face in full
Its captivating beauty
The little thoughts that pass across it like clouds across the sky
Mischief and vulnerability and laughter and pain all mingling in your eyes.
When I look at you like that I feel like I might belong somewhere someday.
Thank you for being sarcastic, and humble, and sweet, all at once, all the time.

The truth is that when I said thank you for hanging out with me,
I really meant
Thank you
For being.
I meant thank you, thank you, thank you
For ever being born.

But,
After all,

You can’t just say that.
Ikimi Festus Nov 2018
So bitter the truth, it won't bring you joy,
Today I'll be honest, no facade to employ.
Before I commence, I must humbly confess,
Imperfections abound, my efforts digress.
No matter my striving, it's never enough,
Yet I never imagined it could be this tough.
I don't mean disrespect or ungrateful disdain,
But in this world, Lord, your people are in pain.

Fear silences voices, they tremble and hide,
As wickedness revels, with malevolence wide.
Darkness descends, nations drown in despair,
Our flame to serve wanes, burdened hearts bear.
Oh Lord, see the state of your suffering earth,
Witness misguided hatred, the Holocaust's dearth.
What sense can be made of such human plight?
The hour grows late, Lord, please act with your might.

Life as we know it hangs on a thread,
Endless nights pass, dread upon dread.
Evil thrives rampant, your world cries for aid,
When will you intervene, this chaos to fade?

LORD: I have already sent you, my child,
To be my vessel of light, to heal and renew.
Ikimi Festus Nov 2018
Father's counsel lingers, both friend and foe should stay in sight,
To trust the unknown, our closeness to those we despise,
Thus, my heart's embrace is withheld from those I cherish most.

Father's voice imparts, knowledge's lock shall turn enough,
Not all truths warrant attention, best left undisturbed,
Some deem them history, others tales spun by fanciful minds.

Father's caution whispers, our world brims with immoral ways,
Amidst entertainment, drugs, technology, and arms,
He lost faith in God, deeming such beliefs unnecessary.

Father's words unfold, before weather forecasts, prayers rose,
Unaware of its workings, men sought blessings from above,
They were mere fools, blessed by timely rains they yearned for.

Father's insight reveals, men's knowledge surges forth,
Understanding the mechanisms that govern our realm,
For him, God is replaced, all by the hands of nature.

Father's voice resounds, myriad knowledge fills our world,
The Bible, a piece among the countless truths we possess,
Whether believed or not, it remains part of our tapestry.

Mike's father speaks,
In his own words, he imparts his wisdom:
"My son, conflicting ideas arise, questioning both sacred text and documented science.
If you seek truth through faith, perhaps you should turn to God.
Yet, if science alone guides your pursuit of truth, my son, trust in your fellow men."

Choose discerningly, with wisdom as your guide.
  Nov 2018 Ikimi Festus
Zane
I wake up today only to find myself longing for tommorrow. I fool myself, thinking that tomorrow is going to be different. I know inside that today was yesterdays tomorrow and, tommorrow will not be better. Tommorrow is always the same. I want so much for tommorrow do be different, but tommorrow was today.

— The End —