Paint Us Correctly

 

The old soldier down the street told me:

When you hear voices in your head, listen.

Makes the dark bottle look so pleasing

What do we say to death? Not today!

 

Some peace of mind, some quiet time

If I get lost in this, tell friends

I'm fine.

 

Boys like me don't cry beside roads to the market place;

Hidden sadness, hidden pain.

Don't tell your mom

You may lose your mind.

 

We don't smile to ourselves;

No talk in small silent clauses.

So, to paint boys like me

You'll need a little peace of mind, a little patience, to remain sane.

 

We have a lot of dark moments,

Envy the sun that smiles so broadly

And the moon that makes night bright

But, don't blame us.

 

We scramble under the shadow of trees

So our darkness doesn't fade away.

If you'll paint us correctly

You'll need a lot of black paints.

 

I look in the mirror and I feel the shame;

With all the things caught in my mind

I can't find the words to say

My heart is beating, but I'm so lost in time.

 

Boys like me are made of broken bottles

Sharp edges that may cut.

If you'll need to paint us

You'll need a lot of tranquility, so you don't get hurt.

 

The first time I looked up, I saw nothing

The second time, I saw an angel bearing the weight of the sky

The torturous cloud

Is taking every breath I wish I held.

 

Don't think bad of us, we aren't to blame.

Carrying such deep thoughts–

Heavy minds.

No surprise we are down.

 

So, when you paint boys like me

Know you'll need strength.

Hold us in your every breath

And in your beating heart

 

Boys like me are not indispensable.

We are ordinary extras in the book of comics

If roles were reversed, we could be extraordinary.

So, please, paint us correctly.

 

Onifade Oladimeji Samson