"A waitress' tines" by Akinto Tosin Aramide

I awoke in a stench-full of vomit,

From ten gobbling goblets of bourbon,

In the corner of a gosh-knows bar,

My mind – a rife berserk,

An erratic tide of outburst.

A desire to obey my disruptive whim,

Like the worst fiasco happened in me,

Such that instilled emotional trauma,

Agony and anguish so irresistible,

Brought me that far.

Life couldn’t have been more hopeless,

When a man lost his job,

And his to-be bride walked away.

What sour lime filled my belly,

I couldn’t feign a smile!

While I waddled close to the door,

Met me was an exquisite lady in white outfit,

Who stabilized me from a reel,

And spoke in a soothing voice,

“Are you okay, Mister!?”

“Better a life with bourbon,

Than a yoke with a mischief you call lady,”

Was my blurt response as I pushed her aside,

In a rage enough to swallow a mountain,

Repugnant to any human mercy.

My rumbling voice and aggression,

Received but an impressive comfort,

In the arms of the stranger,

As she cuddled me from yet another reel.

“I’m at your service, sir,” she huskily said,

I might be able to proffer you some help,

To temper your anguish and anger,

If you allow me relay my own story.

The exuberance and beauty my look wears,

Cannot be reconciled with my plight-filled life,

I once lived in morose and daily sexual abuse,

From coercion and toxic relationship,

A nauseating and meaningless state crafter for me.

I remained glued to the seat she’d pulled me in,

As I listened to the captivating story she tells.

Her lips could barely mutter the next word,

When I burst to hot sympathetic tears, saying,

“So how can you appear to be happy,

And untouched with an excruciating pain?”

Happiness is but a paradigm-shattering choice I make,

To topple disruptive impulses with a ravishing joy,

Putting away my sorrows for a lively hope,

And releasing every offender with a heartfelt prayer.

This is the principle I hold about life!

The future is lived from the present,

And to hold on to the past disarms the soul,

From pursuing with gusty and gusto,

The imagery of a splendiferous dream.

I attract goodness and pleasantness each day,

Because I chose to overcome depression and anger,

By becoming one with love;

I express being a product of love,

And practice love’s intricate attributes.

You must relinquish your anger now,

For everyone that besets you with misery,

And rise with a springboard of grace,

Don’t keep your whims unchecked and without

discretion,

It only makes a worsened situation of all!

While I lay on the smooth marbled floor,

With my eyes clearly opened behind the door,

I looked across the room with a startle,

Only to notice all the customers were gone,

And the attendant left behind to tidy up.

“Welcome back,” the middle-aged man spoke,

In a rather unfriendly tone.

“How was your hallucination?”

For I heard you spoke in such manner,

As if seeing a Messiah,

Who has come to lend you strength.

Now I’ll forever treasure the piece I gleaned,

Even if it remain fabricated from hallucination,

And gladly muster courage,

To make my life worthwhile in the world I see.

Akinto Tosin Aramide is a 500L student of the Department of Biology, School of Sciences, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State. Through his writings, he conveys deep thoughts that spur revolutionary lifestyle.