Would a rose by any other name be as sweet?
Would a rose gifted by another sweep me off of my feet?
Would the fragrant scent make me so softly weak?

Never have I ever been one for flowers,
Their allure held but for a few hours,
A vibrant life for temporary display,
Before they drop all their petals, wilt away.

A perspective from closed eyes open to see,
Finding sincerity in the twelve before me,
Watching their flirtatious shadows dance
As the petals sway to the breezes romance

Studying their intricate details,
Have I never read the story each rose tells?
Sewn into the earth, cared for, tended to,
Their history of love, unfolding in bloom
Like books unfurling pages, one by one
Each petal a testament to the tenderest love

I imagine his eyes, the warmth of his heart
For a moment their stories and my own were of one part.
Gifted with the purest intentions, a hopeful beginning
From those hands seeking love, never-ending

So would a rose by any other name be as sweet?
If from the hands of the one who gifted them to me.

He's like a fever dream I woke from and can barely remember
On the edge of my memory
The tiniest sliver
It's been a few months
He got lost in the blur
All I can recall are his horrendous last words

'Hey, do me a favor. If you ever feel like reaching out, don't. I'll make you hang yourself on your feelings and have you look stupid.'

That broke something so deep seeded in me
Ripped out all the good I ever thought I seen
Three and a half years deleted from my brain
Everything fading until you've been completely erased.

As 2023 cometh to an end
Thankful am I, to have many a friend
Who have been there for me
Through an emotional rollercoaster of a year
Some of whom, are as dear
As a family member or a cousin
And who ensure that I don't sin!

Truly, this has been a tornado of a year
Many occasions there have been
When I have shed many a tear
Sometimes, the grass has been green
Other times, a mess of overgrown weeds
However, planted have been the seeds
For a new beginning
Though a lot of work is still pending!!

As the countdown for 2024 begins
Hoping am I, for a lot of things
To be cleared, are my dues
To be overcome, are my work blues
To be conquered, are my fears
With the help of my dears
To be fought, are my insecurities
To be handled, all are uncertainties
To be managed, is stress
To be bought, is a new dress
To be controlled, is my intake of sugar
Even if my problems get bigger and bigger
To be developed, is confidence
To be taken, are many a chance
To be less dependent on, are people
Else, get caught I might, in a tangle
And finally, must I be happy as I am
Including not giving a ****
About what the society may or may not think
While I enjoy a drink!

Just like every other year
To 2024, do I look forward
Hopefully, it may bring a reward
For all my sincere efforts
Even if I haven't followed all the dos and don'ts
You may see a new Ashwin
More capable of handling pain
I may even find love
Even if it doesn't seem possible right now
Finally learn, may I, how to say 'No'
Though the process may be slow
However, fear I need not
If I follow Jesus' teachings a lot
Because, he is the most important person
In my entire life
And will always save me when there is strife
To be learned from him, are many a lesson

Finally, to 2023, is it time to say goodbye
And leave all my anxieties high and dry
Dear 2024, do I welcome thee
With arms wide open
Let this be the beginning
Of a new innings
May we all smile more often
Even when not required
May all our pain be buried
And finally, may we all love each other
Including becoming friends across borders
Wish you all a very Happy New Year in advance!
Let us begin the dance!!
Amen!! Hallelujah!!

I would've loved to meet her.
The sweetness you spoke in her honor.
A gentle breeze in a month of freezes.
Electric, connective, explorative.

I would love to meet the next.
The sweetest of peas.
Only bluest when being overly fruitful.

Reflections of trekking tower of the familial tree.
Expectations of expecting in introspect.

Forgive me for being greedy, wanting to be involved in your life.
Forgive me for involving my love.

I shall let the resting rest, the ones that need rest to get rested, and give my mind and soul a rest.



Ifeanyichuku Okoro © 2023

The day has come, that we must say goodbye
The time has come that everything must come to an end
Just as briefly as it began
No more dragging it along
No more trying to force it to work
No more wondering do you have to lurk
So goodbye to the best, and hello to the future
Hello to the new things
So the anger can stop and there won’t be no more whirlwinds
Show me the path and that way I will follow
A place where only a few can stand, because it seems so hollow
Look up and look out
Reach up and reach down
A new life I’ve seem to found
I’m trying to pick up what fell and be on my way
So everything will be ok
Just no the frost will never melt away
To you I’m a stranger, just like someone you’ve never met
A thing of the past
A heart I never kept
The end is surely coming
I just feel it within
There’s so many things to review before I can begin
You got that look in your eye
That look of uncertainty
The look that lets me know you’re not sure
A look that’s telling me you put everything in this choice
So how do I silence all of these noises?
I want to understand, I just love to listen
Your words were so cruel, but I couldn’t dip in
I just had to let it happen
I had to let you do it on your own
No more late night calls or being on the phone
So many things that flashed in front of me
Making it hard to decide
Whether I wanted to let go or stay by your side
So many reviews I had to go through
The long process of letting go of you
Deciding what memories I wanted to keep
What memories I wanted to remember
There’s no other way to tell me goodbye
Then saying “I no longer what to be with her”

Walking down the street on a rainy night
He grabs my hand and pulls me close
This must be what falling in love feels like
He gently brushes my hair off my face
I smile nervously
One look in his eyes and I fold
Can he read my mind?
How scared I am of kissing him?
I hope I still remember how
Our lips meet and all my fears slip away
I can breathe
He pulls away and smiles at me
My heart is pulsing in my throat
I can smell him on my skin
I don't want this night to end.

Cut so deep
I thought I forgot how to breathe
A pain so real, a comfort it has become
Self-sabotage at its finest
But what if this time, it works out for the best?
A song so sad, just enough to get me down
How do you feel when you get high?
Do you think of me, when the time feels right?
Driving past my house wondering who's truck is in the driveway
A bandaid that only covers the pain
To deal with it would break me
But here I am
Spilling my vulnerabilities like word ***** onto a page
Past lovers wondering who my words are about
I carry many heartbreak tales with me
Secrets of each that I keep to myself
Because I once was messy, but now I am found

such an exhilarating phenomenon presents itself tonight
for the first time in so long
the curtain to the inner sanctum has been pulled askew
and in steps: you.
I hope I will not come to rue the moment
that led me to this start
though my intuition tells me that I am safe
with you in my heart.

it's a bittersweet
moment, to leave a
page in the making

a hopeful, beautiful
story

filled with
confessions
and life's lessons.

haunted by a
tragic story
from the beginning,
to the midsummer's
end.

you caught me
right at the moment
when i felt
a little less than.

there's weight in
these lines,
and sometimes
it's hard
to take in.

the words,
just out of focus,
but clear in my
head.

it's a bittersweet
moment,
to leave a page
in the making.

i can't wait
to see you
again.