Articles & Poetry
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People Don’t Change
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I like to think of people like I would a piece of art.
Some need the time and will to smooth out their jagged edges.
But people…
People don’t change.
They just slowly reveal what they’ve always been.
© Adenike O. Akinbisehin, ‘People Don’t Change’.
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Love Comes Only In Hindsight (Hindsight Series)
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People stare at lips for different reasons
But his…
His was of the suggestive kind.
I watched them all evening
Amused at the signs
Of a budding attraction
Neither had noticed.
Nope.
Not yet.
© Adenike O. Akinbisehin, ‘Love Comes Only In Hindsight’.
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Palate
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I come with driftwood arms
A penchant for the wrong shores
And a refined taste for disappointment.
What’s your special for the evening?
© Adenike O. Akinbisehin, ‘Palate’.
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Model Musings
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Here, ugly is beautiful.
Awkward is elegant.
You’d be a fool to want to leave,
When the outside world is not as kind with adjectives.
Sailor,
With red patent leather purse.
Banana for breakfast (if you’re lucky to get one in),
Dior for lunch.
Tousled untidy hair, and vulnerable eyes.…
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I Am Everything I Feared I Would Be
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As you peer into devastatingly hollow tunnels,
You peel back the layers I keep concealed,
Dare to stand dauntless before the witch I become,
When pride and insecurity take the wheel.
You’ve learned to revel in silent temper storms,
And bask in the warm glow of my indifference.
Keep notes!…
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Heavy Crowns
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Months go by,
As you stand on your own,
Under harsh yellow lights,
Your tweed glimmers gold.
Eyes now hollow and weary,
Dreams now shallow and bare,
You come as you leave,
With nothing to spare.
Unmoved;
Stirred, but unshaken,
Though riots surround.
As silence, you speak,
And as noise,…
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On Mushrooms & Boundaries
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You could have fed me.
Healed me!
Made a Shaman and a believer out of me.
But your toxicity grew to ensnare only you.
I will not bask in your leftover poison.
© Adenike O. Akinbisehin, ‘People Have A Right To Change Their Minds / On Mushrooms And Boundaries’.
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Early Bird
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Every child is an artist.
The only rule is to be open to discovery.
© Adenike O. Akinbisehin, ‘Early Bird’.
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High Wattage
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As each woman walked by they took turns assessing her character,
based on quirks and mannerisms.
Unearthing hidden vulnerabilities from a forbidden gesture,
or stolen glance.
“That one!”
“Oh. She’s definitely a stiletto.”
“Yeah!”
“High voltage being.”
“Curious and dangerous to know.”
How the world judges its women.
© Adenike…
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Whatever Your Weapon Is (Part 1)
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I sense your inconsistency coming on,
The way animals predict earthquakes -
A long time before you do.
Heels dug firmly in cork,
I stand my ground.
Braving the ebb and flow,
Of your puppeteered emotions.
I watch you as you watch me intently.
Eyes darting back and forth across…
