Published 29th Oct, 2023

By Abimbola Abatta

Do you ever get tired of hoping,
Hoping that the light behind the tunnel would be real,
Or that the shadows will quickly dissolve into a tomorrow that welcomes the shy haven that hides its face like a bride on her first night?

Do you ever get tired of waiting,
Waiting to be heard by your rulers who have gone deaf,
And to be seen by those whose sight suddenly turns bad at the glimpse of your shrunken skin?

Do you ever get tired of praying,
Praying for your next meal,
Or a daily penny to pay your bills and offset the black tax,
Even when you know it’s a lost cause and the Lord’s curse?

Do you ever get tired of being an athlete in life’s rat race,
Running against time and tide and people and prestige in a world where the eat rich the poor?

Do you ever get tired of being the doormat for those who take advantage of people’s kindness and exploit your desperation for their gain and game?

Do you ever get tired of the two-faced human,
Who smiles with you in the dining hall but nails you to the wall when your back is turned for less than a minute?

Do you ever get tired of existing,
Like you’re just here in this realm, neither alive nor dead, neither here nor there because the world’s endless woes weigh down on your will to live and truly live?

Do you ever get tired of trying,
Trying to hope for a better tomorrow when today’s nightfall shows no streak of stars and the signs seem to foretell doom that a mortal’s mind cannot fathom?

Do you ever get tired of hoping,
Hoping that the voices screaming inside your head will take a break
And the land that heard your infant cries would cease to poison your dreams?

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