Written By: Adejuwon Gbalajobi

You’re heavy upon me heart, sorrow.
You’re a ravenous beast inside of me.
A thousand Psalms I’ve sung to silence you,
my throat burns with prayers to still your madness– still you ravish me.

How do I wheel myself into joy when it is always distant?
can my mouth crackle with laughter
when bile is seated on my tongue?
can these eyes glint with light when darkness cloaks my soul?

My heart is melancholic like a dark sky.
Sorrow stretches through the night,
yet, the dawn is gloomy.
In the morn, the songbirds sing,
the wind carries a dirge into my ears.

Father of Light, give me your eyes that I may see the world in rainbows,
lend me your strong arms to fight this darkness.
Father, hear my voice amidst the rage of the storm drowning me.

Adejuwon is a creative writer and poet.