Poem
Onerous
My life is getting harder
First my other mother
She decided to change her life and live for the better
Then, her husband got shot and saw life’s latter
I’m no longer shy; I am going through an ordeal
So, my brother’s brother got a headshot
My brother’s close friend crashed, he saw the light before a child he could begot
My friend’s baby mother was COVID killed
Luckily my other friend’s father was only COVID ill
But another friend crashed, yet another gone up that unchartered hill
Death is drawing near
I think it senses my fear
I’m trying to be cautious
But it’s impossible given these onerous
I feel obligated to being cantankerous
Failing as the prominent writer
A failed washed-up cricketer
A decent footballer
I’ve become nothing but a regular day goer
It started with a contempt job at a call center
But still, I hear, you have the talent
That’s a lie that’s appropriately placed in a lament
So, I guess I’m going through a lot
And in this life, life isn’t something to take back
My words uttered are either forgotten or just plain
So, when my niece asks if I’m okay, I’ll ask her the same
God knows it’s better when she doesn’t understand this pain
It’s a defence that’s about to cave
Does it make sense to share?
My friends would say yea
And let me know they are here
But if frustration in your job was a sin
Then cast me, as I am all the way in
In this excrement hole,
I will need to find a connection to the higher being
Not like that unreliable telephone
- Makonnen Solomon