After Darkness, Light

Hey guys! For this week’s blog post, we’re highlighting the work of four amazing young poets. These are our first four entries to the “Dark” category. Last week in our I Am Woman blog post titled “The Power of Women”, we received a lot of great reviews and I’m so happy you loved them!

This week’s category is one of my favourites and accounts for probably ninety per cent of my own pieces. I love the freedom that dark and morbid writing gives me to express my vulnerabilities and insecurities. This category allows writers to express ideas that they may be too scared or too ashamed of to share with people face-to-face. It allows them to be vulnerable and yet, feel safe. This genre may not appeal to some readers as it often entails really gloomy pieces but for some, it provides a space for them to relate to the real-life experiences of the writers and get to know aspects of them that they may only choose to express through poetry and other writing. It also helps people to recover from similar difficulties in their lives, if the author depicts how he/she overcame a specific obstacle(s) within the piece.

I believe in order to truly heal, we must endure some amount of suffering; in order to get to a better place in our minds and in our lives, we must trek through fire and darkness.

For only after darkness, will there be light.

WATER MY FLOWERS

Because when the sun sets and the lights are off

you’ll stop growing;

because even though you were trampled by feet that

couldn’t see you, you were there, and you stood your ground. I ask for you to

water my flowers so that I can remember why they fight; I ask for you to water my

flowers so they can remember why they should blossom. I heard your words

were the most natural supplement there was.  I hope you choose to use words of

love instead of hate because Lord knows how much my flowers can take. I saw

the sun set on them, misguided feet step on them and they still held their ground.

But the words that you choose will cut from the roots. So please, if you water

my flowers,

do it with love.

by Shawn Hylton

SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLE

Instagram: @ayo_amnesian

THE CHANGE HAS COME 

I realize the change 

I realize the answers 

I realize the messages 

I realize the side messages

I realize the greeting 

The one word said worth keeping 

I realize the expressions 

I realize the suggestions 

Somehow in such a short time, 

I realize the regression. 

But I forgive you, 

Time will tell, somehow, 

And one day you’ll realize that you’ve changed.

By Raheem Wellington

SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLE

Instagram: @rhyeemofficial_

HELP 

It’s a pity that the beauty about life is easily seen, brings butterflies when you see it, that goes for every human being. 

It’s sad, that the harshness of life one may always feel, once it’s in, it’s locked and sealed. 

I know it seems I’m fine, deep down I’m shouting help inside, it’s like it settles in the day, but it evolves in the night. 

Blurry vision, I’m just keeping the pain inside, it shows in my eyes so I close them to further the hide. 

A waste of time to show fears,

I keep calling out,

I can’t cry because it’s a waste of time to waste tears,

There’s no other way to drain it, so I come here. 

I’m not emotional, I promise.

I’m just damaged.

Help.

By J. Fallen    

SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLE

Instagram: jammy_ovo (personal); j.fallen_poetry (poetry page)

THE LANGUAGE WE SPEAK

The language that we speak tells tales

Tales of all the suffering and hardship we’ve endured,

its suffocating like the smile we let out during our hardest times.

The language we speak is silence.

The language we speak mocks us.

The language we speak is our insanity.

Contemplating our next move in the silence that breaks our insides and leaves us as empty shells, numb to the making of the world

and the darkness that we believe to be light, consumes our very souls.

The language we speak cannot be spoken.

The language we speak lost its voice.

The language we speak faded away;

Because we no longer speak our language, as no one listened. and we are now dead.

by Saraphina Johnson

SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLE

Instagram: s.a.r.a._j

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I hope you enjoyed the read! I want to thank these four poets for their submissions.

Share their work and follow them on their social pages!

Let us know what you think of their pieces in the comments below and remember,

Be Kind!

Cheers!

DISCLAIMER: These pieces MUST NOT be used for commercial purposes without the approval of the authors.