Bad days
I feel really weak today as if the world might open up and swallow me whole As if conversation might break me down from my head to my toes, until I am a mere pile of bones and sinew I feel really demure today… like if I speak too loudly, my guts will come spilling from my mouth and I’ll have nothing left inside me except space My body is sitting on top of me like some foreign object, instead of my home. I feel like crying today, heavy while the world’s pain, and my own, hurdles toward me at top speed, all with one goal: to trod me into the ground If I survive today, and make it to tomorrow with a beating heart and inflated lungs I will stand on my legs facing East toward the sun And I will not be moved. But today, I need to curl up into myself, To turn and face the West where dark corners and rooms clouded with thick smoke, will caress my wet cheeks, touch my tender skin, and cover me from harsh, glaring stares If I survive today, this day cloaked in fog, then tomorrow shall promise me sunshine and singing birds, chirping insects, relentless heat But for now, these shadows are where I hide, while the rest of earth turns on its axis without me If only for today
© Ama Akoto (2018)