I’ve been longing to suffer
with you in the normal everyday way
to witness the bad in your good graces
I want nothing more than this
eyes like mine have failed
to present a more arresting glance than yours
so I must be forgiven for these forbidden wants
I’ve been longing to suffer
the weight of the final crush
a way to wake up to the everyday reality
that our worlds are eternally set apart
Jerry K. Ayodele is a Nigerian-American poet, editor and writer based in London, England. His work, spanning poetry, essays and short fiction, has appeared on BESE, Afreada and RADR Africa. He is currently the founding editor of Communa Magazine.