In my previous poem I was a boy

By Alaro Basit

& yet again, like a seamster,
I want to weave my past into my present.

O Lord, help release a butterfly from this
network of webs; I want to savor every

blossoming petal in this garden & not feel
a thorn in my wings. I want to lie at the

precipice of my mother’s cuddles & not fall
into the thrilling trance of travail. I really want

to flush out my worries through the dreary dams
of my eyelids & not stain others with the alkalinity

of my tears. but here, everyone’s clad in an outfit that succumbs not to pollution. I mean, in this

world where aid is a direct antonym to manliness,
nothing fuels the heavy wheels of compassion.

BIO:
Alaro Basit, 4/4 of the Next Generational Poets (NGPs), a versatile creative who scribes, speaks and raps from Oyo state, Nigeria.
His works have been shortlisted in the ‘Man-Up’ competition and Write the World poetry contest where he happened to be the only African on both lists.
His poems have also been published and shortcoming on Woven Poetry, Brittle Paper and the “Word for Earth” Project published on Amazon.
Say hello to him on Instagram @larex_d_poet and on twitter @alaro_basit