by Gianna Burgess, Features Contributor
my angel,
i hear you scream in pain as you fall
back to this horrid earth,
but my arms are too full to catch you.
i look up to the sky,
watching your descent.
others do too,
but unlike me and you,
they have the ability to stop you.
no one cares.
they gawk and stare out of curiosity
but pay no mind to whether you’ll live
or die.
when you finally hit the ground,
the earth shakes in agony.
then,
everyone hysterically weeps.
i drop my meaningless things,
scrambling to reach your limp body.
but your eyes are so dull,
that you no longer look the same.
your beautiful brown skin still glows
like it did when there was youth running through your eyes.
crouched in front of you,
cradling your lifeless body,
is where i feel the misery leave your
wrinkled, oblique figure.
there i realize how tortured you were.
you lived a life full of pain,
breaking you down slowly,
yet never did you stop being a kind soul
nor inflicted that same pain on others.
those who come close to the somber scene
feel the suffering in the air
and quickly retreat for it’s too much to bear.
my angel,
i’m sorry for failing you.
my angel,
i’m sorry for letting you slip through the cracks.
my angel,
i didn’t even get to see your beautiful wings.
my angel,
i bet you’re even more beautiful when you fly.
my angel,
i will not forget you.
my angel,
i’m sorry for letting you go.
my angel,
have a good life.
Rest in Power Oluwatoyin Salau.
