A small little firefly I was.
With my little legs jumping through the ties,
I got entrapped in my aunt's little sighs.

Where was the fire to the fly?
I think it was lost in the trap.
As, I couldn't step out from its snags.

Oh, what exactly was the trap?
Was it a form of rectangle with a voice?
Or, a dance of skins in the light?

Are you curious to the bait?
Oh, my hot tea will meet you in its steam.
Just catch your breath while at it.

It is called a TV in the world.
In it, we watched dramas all day long.
Emitting sighs through our lips.

Being Nine meant I had time.
Now, I was stuck to the view,
With no plan left in sight.

In time, I got revenged from its mics.
How so? You may ask.
Its loudness exchanged my hearing for my sighs.

Loving the drama proved a nought.
For all I saw were faces without a voice.
Drawing my energy to a Zen.

Being NINE became a hell.
In it, I dug my heels deep into the shells.
Shredding my confidence like a sac.

A shadow of myself, the new me embraced.
Aunt, oblivious of my pain as her sighs danced up the skies.
Soon I became an ant in place of a firefly.

Shrinking in public became my norm.
Words failed me at all times.
For, my ears seemed to betray me like a kink.

Life continued like a pain it was.
I was forced to salsa to its beats.
Hoping for a miracle by the dawn.

Five, Four, Three, my friends reduced.
Mocking whispers became a fan.
The love I knew, became a sham.

By the day, I was a mess.
By the night, I locked my thoughts.
In between, my books were my buds.

Had it harder than the most.
Got it tougher than the best.
Held it harder like a spec.

Could write my life story like a pro.
Forget not, the ears of walls.
Some secrets may never be a kite.

Still, my pen won't stop at the ball.
It pours emotions from its balls.
Now, I got no option but to ball.

Sounds in an abstract can be tough.
For living in Nigeria is not for the weak.
You need your wits at all times.

Listened to lessons with a need.
Not an aid left in sight.
For my voice couldn't sprint to my ward.

Living a lie, I was brave.
Braving the truth, I was scared.
Staying in the dark, wretched my soul.

Giving up wasn't a choice.
For my future lay in my choice.
I couldn't afford to play ping pong with my choice.

Asking questions was the way to go.
Claiming right was not on my watch.
Proving smart was left to my scores.

Indeed, I look back with a tear.
The memories engulf me as a smoke,
Knowing I'd fitted in high school by an inch.

Too young in here, I was told.
Too timid to soar, I was told.
Too deaf to fit, I was told.

In it all, I held my breath.
I knew in time, all will work for good.
That's the words that kept me up.

All the quotes won't amp the sound.
It may seem as though time took a stand.
Letting all the negatives come to a plaque.

In it all, envy moved a bay.
Thirsting for peanuts is a shame.
Don't lap dance with the spirit called spite.

Shackles abound when you bite.
It's left do the rain to shower on earth.
A zillion of spites can't stop the dews.

With this in mind, I worked on my growth.
Albeit my drums beating in a squish.
The zeal to live is my pro for now.

A turntable rose in the midst of thorns.
A kiss of Poetry were offered by my GOD.
Lighting paths that would otherwise be dark.

Oh, it didn't come as easy as it sounds.
My knees tasted dirt as I poured my thirst to Him.
My heart wrenched hot, with eyes dripping salts.

Mercy abounds where all was lost.
Somehow my voice reached heaven's land.
For the speaker was found in spirit form.

Voices untold filled my inner drum.
With shaky legs, my feet moved afloat.
Senses where lost like a lamb in heat.

Still in space, my pen danced on sheets.
Medulla seemed to magnet sheets,
Creating a magical poem in heat.

History was made at the moment in time,
Paving a way to a freelance of words.
While building in me, a confidence so strong.

Life became beautiful in a beat.
I got purpose in my steps.
My loss of sound won't stop me now.

Track the toe, I stacked my writes.
The two w's became my friends.
Wattpad, Writco, are my buds.

The moment of joy paled in time.
For dealing with humans proved hard again.
Poetry without souls is not in vogue.

Talent may stay, but the world must check.
Once again, I shuffled for my voice.
Sound and Voice threaded like pins.

How do I say repeat one more time?
Interviews and calls are bound to my poems.
Embarrassment can't be the TAXIFY of my spine.

Almost taking my poems as a curse,
I stopped a bit in the apex of time,
Shrinking back to the shell of spite.

Textbooks got back the flavour it had lost.
All I did was read too much,
Hoping to while away my time.

Three, two, one, I've grown a punch.
Now, valedictorian I came to be.
With only sadness worn on sleeves.

The real word was like a reel.
I got stuck in pain than impale.
Wondering which is worse is too much to bear.

Butterscotch cookies put me back on track.
Poetry batters my pain in spades.
Loving my flaws, no sounds and all.

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