POEM - I WAS BORN

I WAS BORN                                                       Beatrice O. Sargin

I was born for a reason

Into an African family

And am still yet to find out why I was;

I was born to taste, see and feel life

5        Either positively or negatively

And am still yet to find out why I feel much pain and hurt

With a little happiness when I experienced them;

I was born to love,

To give and share happiness,

10           But I don’t know why humans keep shooting all my love away,

Being the bulletproofs that turns my laughter into sadness,

I was born to impact positively into the lives of those who are lost,

Downtrodden and dishearten,

But am still yet to find out why am being misunderstood for being too caring,

15           I was born with special varieties of wonderful gifts

For my life time being stuffed in my shell,

Each time I bring them out to lend a helping hand towards those in need,

They take the advantage of that particular gift and use me,

Oh! They use me for their pleasures and satisfaction!

20           Not minding or trying to hear my heart crying out for help!

For someone to assist me in standing out with all my gifts;

Being exceptionally me,

And out of my shell at least for once.

Oh! Am yet to find out why my spirit is so gentle,

25           And humble at heart and would always go back into its shell wounded when I try.

I was born with love,

But it’s a mystery how a loving heart of mine has gone bleeding

And has turned into a monstrous and hateful heart,

That even when I try to show love,

30           Something keeps pulling me back into my shell,

That I don’t even know anymore the meaning of love

And how to love as well because am always taken for granted

And always misunderstood,

I was born a fighting soldier to help assist all that needs me;

35           For I have whatever gift it takes to help them,

But I discovered that I now fight the feeling that comes each time

They are in need for the heart is weak,

The mind is absent and the body is willing

But inactive, yet I can’t find out why?

40           Because am too tired of blaming myself each time a harm is done to my heart,

I was born to cherish this life,

The world and the people in it;

So as to make the best of my earth

With wonderful stories,

45           Pleasures and excitements,

But “No!”

Instead they murder my earth;

And make it uncomfortable for others to comfortably live in,

I was born to breathe,

50           So I am living and I have loved

But am still yet to find out why I keep loving the wrong people;

Who throw away my love for it is useless to them,

Except for my family who appreciates everything about me,

And I keep enduring this because I have a God;

55           Who loves me more than anything else in this world,

And I will remain faithful to his love as long as I live,

I was born the best of my kind,

Too important to be ignored,

Too lovely to be hated,

60           Too useful to be useless,

Too loaded to be wasted

And too good to be forgotten.

But there is not a man or woman born of thy flesh nor the spirit,

That has what it takes to confidently stand with God and remove me from my shell,

65         For there are so many treasures inside the shell;

That am afraid will go down the drain if not rescued on time,

But I won’t answer for it;

For I have used all of them before but they were     all disregarded by men,

But not God who gave them to me,

70           I was born but am not alone,

There are so many reflections of me in this world,

Some were killed by love;

Some were sacrificed by trust;

Some walk with their shells but don’t use the treasures inside to anyone

75           For they have not found anyone worthy to see or taste from their treasures,

Others pretend not to have shell or treasures;

And since they cannot beat the world,

They have decided to join the world,

Seeking for others like us to discourage us to bury our shells and treasures,

80           That this world and everything in it is not worth them.

But am still holding on and holding out for a rescuer to give and lovingly share this gifts to;

And I know someone is waiting and searching tirelessly;

But I don’t know who and I hope not to have missed it.

I was born to gain and search for opportunities every day,

85           But of all opportunities of each day I haven’t seen the one

That is favorable but futile,

Why always me?   

I was born, everyone rejoiced and I cried,

They were all happy seeing me cry

90           But as a baby I knew why I was crying;

Because I knew it was just the beginning of my tears to flow in this world;

And I won’t stop at giving my best and all

But would stop at making them all cry painfully for all they did to me,

And why I can never be replaced by any after my exit from this painful,

95           Sorrowful and heart breaking world!

I would gloriously laugh at them with no remorse;

For I will leave my footprints on the sands of time;

For this is one reason why I was born,   

I was born with knowledge,

100         I acquired some,

Learnt some brutally

That I could eat and not feel the taste of my food,

And I couldn’t hear the walls speak for my mind was absent

I learnt the hard way and was punished by one thing I cherished the most “LOVE”,

105         Life is a lesson in itself,

Filled with the best teachers of this world which we call experience.

Once being taught by experience itself the ability to apply wisdom,

Courage, fortitude, counsel, piety together with recovery

And understanding which you now possess,

110         Helps you to be prudent that there is indeed a God

That needs to be feared and respected for helping and having you scale through,

I was born,

Oh! I was born, been so emotional,

Soft centered and soft hearted

115         But not soft headed or softie

But am yet to find out why am so

To avoid being abused and misused by those who think and say they know me very well,

I was born with a golden heart

With two beautiful brown pearls in my eyes,

120         A pink diamond on my forehead,

With the earth, wind and fire on the air that I breathe in

To refine my beautiful heart that wishes to keep

And preserve its beauty

And put anyone on a cloud for this I was born.

125         I was born to taste and share the bitterness of those in need around me

And make them happy by lifting up their heavy burdens and joys as true friends

But it appears, they keep spoiling my deeds with their wrongs

And I don’t understand, why?

I was born and like babies do know the true facts about life,

130         Babies and children see me as their friend

Because they know and understand who I truly am

But even as adults as they are,

Standing, they cannot see what the baby sees when creeping,

For I have seen these things;

135         And is too bad all adults are interested in making wealth

And loving children but they lack the gift to spend time with the babies to hear them out,

But I do and I will always remain a very simple,

Virtuous and unique woman as long as I breathe in fire,

Earth and wind to refine my world.

140         I don’t mind if I am seen as a baby,

If I refuse to grow up because of this special attribute that I possess.

 I was born an extraordinary teacher,

An exuberant young woman,

A great successor, a remarkable mentor

145         And source of inspiration to all life that wishes to learn

And emulate my being by being a mirror and reflection to others,

I was born a philosopher of the new and modern age today,

Don’t ever ask questions that you can never find answers to.

They said he who asks is a fool for five minutes

150         But he who doesn’t ask remains a fool forever.

But also asking questions without answers makes you a fool forever.

Questions like how high is up? Why is the sky blue?

I was born to tell you it’s pointless doing so.

I was born not to look down on myself even as I will always remain in my shell

155         Until there’s a good reason why I should be out of the shell

I won’t let anyone bring me down

And whosoever does so will be out of my mind for good

For trying to cover up a sin in other to maintain his or her name

Thereby provoking and irritating my spirit,

160         I was born,

Oh! I just want to say a little no more,

I was born to be a part of a destiny,

I don’t know whose, but whosoever it maybe,

Embrace the opportunity before you end up losing

165         What I have to offer you in making your story about your destiny a remarkable one,

Mind what you say,

Think before you act,

Don’t cover sins that you can’t stand for in future

Because you did and once you have done,

170         You have given rooms for other diabolic acts to take place by the sinner.

Forgive easily and forget truly.

I lived to tell my story,

How many would hear yours?

I loved for I was born, I taught for I was born…

175         Oh! I was born and soon all would say I was here…