Cafe 24 || Winner: Lost And Found By Stephen Olayemi.

…I wandered, lost, in a wilderness of pain,
Drunk on despair, stumbling through the rain…

You were light, successfully blinding my eyes.
I walked in, to the Getty, unsure haze.
Then you departed, leaving me in darkness and depth
Peaceful, the calm of a severed lamb's last breath.

And I flailed, a fish out of water,
Confused and carried by the wind,
I fought to shed this shell, to be better
And I gave it my all, though my chances were slim.

The story's over, so what are these chapters for?
We know you won, so what's the point of keeping score?
This battle's over, but I still keep fighting.
And in this silence, I found my voice.

I lost you,
But in losing you, I found myself too.

I wandered, lost, in a wilderness of pain,
Drunk on despair, stumbling through the rain.
My heart was shattered, a mirror on the floor,
Reflections of what we had, shattered evermore.

But I picked up the pieces, one by one,
And slowly learned to let the healing begin.
I found solace in the silence, and peace in the night,
And slowly, I started to shine with new light.

I watered my flowers, and watched them heal,

And learned to love myself, to let go and feel.
The flowers bloomed, and I found my way,
Through my shadows, into a brighter day.

And you might have won the battle, but I won the war,
And in losing you, I found my greatest gift was me, forevermore.

Olayemi Stephen is a Lagos/Ekiti based writer with a passion for exploring themes of trauma, resilience and self discovery. Outside of writing, he enjoys singing and harmonizing life into melody.
This publication marks his literary debut.

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Hannah Omokafe Dennis

Hannah Omokafe Dennis Is A 24-year-old Journalist, Voice-Over artist and UNFPA Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health Rights Advocate Living In Nigeria. She Currently Serves As A Community Manager In Konya Shamsrumi AndHas Some Of Her Written Works Published On Writer's Space Africa and audio stories on Genti media. She Enjoys Using Words And Her Voice To Tell Stories. She Tweets @Omokafe_forite.

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