Please don’t wake me up yet. Don’t. Let me stay here a little longer Let me drag my feet in this impossible space if only for a little while.Let me stay where my body can still remember how to lean on someone.Where my mind keeps turning his name over like stone. Don't wake me up up… Continue reading POEM #36
POEM #35
Tell me,what do I do with thesethoughts that refuse to sit still. The ones that keep my heartbeating like a bird that has forgottenhow to land. What do I do with thesequestions that come without permission,And the quiet ones that wonder if you are okayOr safe, or warm, or if the day left any bruises… Continue reading POEM #35
POEM #34
I asked God to give me a heart that would not break,He gave me a heart that had already learned how to breakYet, still knew how to love. I asked Him to give me someone who Understood the parts of me I hid from the world. Someone who, somehow, would stay. He showed me how slow it… Continue reading POEM #34
POEM #33
Dad, It’s August Again,The month that took you still finds us here.Becoming versions of ourselves we wished you’d be proud of, I wanted you to know I’m okay. And I won’t parade myself as perfect, or unbroken.I’m just okay. Maybe not the way you should have hoped, But okay. I know the ground remembers my footsteps,So, It’s… Continue reading POEM #33
POEM #32
I want to tell mama that I finallystopped running from silence,that the noise inside me finally settledAnd I can hear her again.I want to tell mama that I finallylearned how to listenthe way she used to listen to mequietly, without rushing,I want to hear her chantthe old soft songsshe used to hum while cooking or… Continue reading POEM #32
POEM #31
In the next life, Should my last breath take me there, I will live differently from the mess I've made here. In that life, if fate allows, I’ll have more faith in myself, Remind myself that life is worth so much more. I will walk slowly, calculating each step, Sip my years like fine wine, … Continue reading POEM #31
POEM #30
Every day I understand why you're the perfect match for me. Each interaction,every stumble from the world outsideonly strengthens my conviction in choosing you above all.Waking up to this intentional love,this heartbeat of affection,reminds me of your profound significance in my life.You're mine, to cherish eternally.I eagerly anticipate spending the rest of my days by… Continue reading POEM #30
POEM #29
My heart breaks sometimes for the ones who leave,I weep for the silence they leave behind.For the footsteps that walk past meAs if I am nothing worth remembering,A quiet place they never meant to stay.I don’t remember all their names,Some I do.Still, no reasons why they came,Why they would walk so close then walk pastLike… Continue reading POEM #29
POEM #28
The walls refuse to utter a word.No space to argue.Nothing to interrupt my thoughts.Just the clock moving slowly,and the light staying loyal.The couch remembers my weight.Nothing here asks me to speak.I sit bothered by the words left hanging,their silence heavier than sound.I fold anger into my handsand sit on it so it doesn’t spill.I choose… Continue reading POEM #28
POEM #27
When you see her, tell her her daughter is tired but standing.Tell her the nights are long,and sometimes morning arrives without answers,but her child still wakes up hopeful.Tell her she is gratefulfor the hands that have held her through this season.She feels them every day,even when guilt dances on her faceand she doesn’t know how… Continue reading POEM #27
Nancy Atieno's Notes 