I Lived Away Like A Shadow Poem by Azeezat Busari

I lived away like a shadow,
No room, not even a bed,
No tea but I’ve got a stale bread.
Am I alive or dead?
I am not so sure

It’s cold, I wish for something warm,

Wishes;
they never come true!

In this manner;
I hope I don’t get the flu
Not pale, maybe blue
People take no note of me,
I lie on the streets,
Hoping for some meat,
Aside some others,
Who make me believe there’s some pity in the city.


Alone without a friend,
I live, Rejected.
Out in the cold air
My Chest bare,
Ain't got any clothes to wear,
All of this I have to bear,
No love, No care.
Then I hear of those who carry huge bags
of money,
A little of that could change my life,

I see children my age,
New clothes, New shoes
Their life, a new page,
In a golden book,
In a castle they live in,
With nurses and cooks.

‘Why am I not like this? ’, I ask,
To answer this is a task.

Sometimes in my endless daydream,
I see life as really good,
No stench of blocked drainages,
No acrid air of cigarettes,
Maybe some day, I’ll experience such life,
Till then, I shall keep scavenging,
Yes! To survive!