Poem by Isaac Aju

I Am Not Afraid Of You

I am no longer afraid of you,
Dear hunger.
I am not afraid of your pain.
I am not afraid of your sting.
I am not afraid of your stare.
I am not afraid of your footsteps.
I am not afraid of your looming presence.
I am not afraid of the fear that comes with you.

I am a gold in the making,
I am not afraid of the fires.
I am a house full of treasures,
I have all it takes to become great.
I am a man full of potentials,
I have all it takes to prosper.

Your sting is just for a while,
Your pain is only for a while,
Your presence is for a while.
I will rise above all hunger.
I will rise above all pain.
I will rise above all menacing atmospheres.
I will rise above all enemies of creativity.
I will rise above all enemies of the truth.
I will rise above all enemies of joy.

I might be hungry,
But still, I am a full human being.
I might be hungry,
But still, I have a story to tell.
I might be hungry,
But still, the world is waiting to hear my voice.
I might be hungry,
But still, I am not going to hate myself.
I might be hungry,
But still, my creativity is still intact.
I might be hungry,
But still, I am writing this poem.
I might be hungry,
But still, the universe will read this poem.
I might be hungry,
But still, the gates of ignorance will be smashed down.
I might be hungry,
But still, I am going to wake up each morning,
Wash my face,
Take a bath,
And occupy my space with all boldness.
I might be hungry,
But still, I have a story to tell.

Born in Nigeria in 1997. First work of fiction and poetry will be appearing in The Kalahari Review and Writers' Journal - Live & Learn by September and December 2024.

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