I would recall my wasted years,
And display my voice on a paper,
Painting with words, my grief and regret
Let us loathe those days together.
At birth I was given a gift
‘The Liberty of Ignorance’- A privilege that I could not reject.
By my will of action and inaction
I trivialized windows of possibilities,
Abated my abilities, and became less of who I was made to be.
The only remedy for imprudence is wisdom
So, I sought it without desperation.
A genuine desire to rise comes from a cause above oneself,
But I knew no cause greater than myself.
Everything in existence was made for a change,
But my impact reached no further than the orbits I tread.
I exist, but who am I beyond my name?
What value have I given to the world?
I exist. Little as I am, but I have consumed and added nothing
I have taken and created nothing.
I lived each day farther from purpose
Unyielding to seasons.
And not wavered by the racing sun
Still, I fade away.
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Ajiboye Senami is a Nigerian writer and an aspiring poet and essayist. Her journey and experience in writing could easily be traced to the moment she wrote her first award-winning essay in 2018, but a tale of courage and perseverance precedes her very first attempt at writing. She initially began her journey as a writer, writing essays and articles for competitions and contests; however, in 2020, she began to learn the art of poetry as soon as she realised that the simple style of essays could not convey vivid expressions of her feelings and ideas. As a Christian who is devoted to sharing her faith, she founded Living Stone Journal in 2024, an Instagram-based Christian journal where she shares insights on the word of God. She is currently a sub-editor on the Editorial Board of the African Law Students Association, where she contributes to the writing and preparation of legal essays and articles for the association’s newsletters.
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Read – Shadows of Yesterday – A Poem by Faith Olasunkanmi – Nigeria
