WILL YOU BELIEVE ME

Will you believe me

If I tell you this isn’t the life I wanted to live?

I wanted to be like you in this royal office,

An office with computers and a warm sip of coffee,

Not with this knife slitting people’s throats.

Will you believe me

If I tell you this isn’t who I wanted to be?

I wanted to be that famous face,

The famous face on countless covers of magazines,

But nature handed me guns.

Will you believe me

If I tell you I didn’t want any revenge?

I wanted to be a radiant reflection of peace,

Until I watched him butcher my parents in front of me.

Will you believe me

If I tell you this isn’t where I wanted to make love?

I wanted that rhythmic thrust in the blue,

Flying with the dove to Paris,

Not in shackles and the dust of Nigeria.

Will you believe me

If I tell you I didn’t want to be behind the bars?

I wanted to be called to the bar with that prestigious robe,

Until the cruelty of life brought me fate and despair.

Will you believe me

If I tell you,

Would you believe if I had told you,

I wanted your love and nothing else,

Until you fell blinded to the yearnings of the boy next door.

© Michael Edison

27/12/2018