PICTURE POETRY: BLIND CYCLE

Artist: Anonymous
Poem by Mide Benedict


Red eyes does not mean pain,
Does not mean sorrow
That comes from another's hand.
It may be that you denied sleep
Of its night food and now your eyes are red.

But when the eyes are red
And cheeks are swollen
Like water tubes about to bust open
Then one of your ribs, broken
Your once sexy lips, open
And your bum sits outside of your house
On the tiled floor
Hoping that a voice would call out your name
And tell you to come in and feed his pleasure
Then that is the pain you didn't cause
But rather chose to remain in till death do you part.
Wait, do you know... I don't think so
That in this your love affair,
Death died a long time ago
And has been buried in an unmarked place
So the death you seek in your vow to do you part
Is a knownless life that has no breath in its lungs.
Break the chain!
“But I choose to remain, you can let...”
‘No, just break the chain!' All your life, you've had that dream
To grow up well in beauty and in hope
That a day would show up
At your door step, knock on your door
And bring a suitor right to you;
A rich suitor, by the way
All your life, that has been your dream
The dream your mother dreamt before
She married your father who gave her your sister
Who married your in-law to give birth
To another whose dreams are the same.
No wonder when he kicks you
You lick his feet, he is your dream so you stick to him
And when he tells you to sit there
And not move till he comes back home
You seat, for he is your dream
And it must be achieved
It must be nurtured even in torture:
See, your dream is a foul smell in a room
Empty of air, it is a room full of food
But all have been covered in thick mucus
Wake up, I tap you, wake up!
End this dream now, wake up!
Be no pawn in a box about to be misplaced
Wake up, and become part of reality:
This is not your dream
This is an opium
Your dream has not been dreamt
Wake up to your dream and leave this sleep to sleep on.

*The Art Inspired Poems