I sat in my shadows, legs crossed,
There was a knock,
And the Other had with something good to sell,
Large smiles and affordable prices,
We made a good bargain and I felt good,

It began to wear off,
I knew there would be a fight,
I should not have let it in,
I knew I would lose and I saw the Other taunt me,

The Eyes that saw me looked away,
I was trapped,
The Other flashed it’s bloody teeths,
The One I looked to turned away,

I crawled out of my shadows,
The lights blinded me,
Sharp hues of White, ivory and gold,
I stumbled around looking for my shadows,

The Other grabbed my shoulders and pulled me,
I couldn’t fight back,
I could only wimp,
It pulled me slowly now,
Perhaps reveling in its victory,

I looked up at the blinding light,
Only now I saw the One coming,
He held out his hands,
I had two choices,

It was a fight,
I tried to pull myself out of its grip,
It held on tight, a little tighter,
Then it bound me so much I felt taut,

I looked up again,
His hands were still outstretched,
I opened my palms and stretched my arms,
Before me,
I made a choice,

He took my hands in his and I turned back,
The Other’s eyes lit like fire,
I turned back and trembled,
He smiled and pulled me towards him,
I fell to my knees and watched the fight,

This time, I knew I would not lose,
Because I had an Army.

Ifiokabasi Okop

(c) 2018