Reborn

REBORN Out comes the unwanted object of derision, Conceived after a hasty union along an unlit alley, By a mother wholly enslaved to syringes And a father utterly imprisoned by bottles. The brawls were painfully endless – Shouting, slapping, kicking, and smashing. For ages I remained a constant reminder of error – The mucky bridge linking two wrongs. I grew up, thickly blanketed by rejection and hate; And soon found solace hugging the streets – Gleefully content as the devil’s lieutenant. Clearly I was marked; born by bad, born for bad. I delightedly played the black messenger; Drinking, lying, stealing, drugging, hurting… I got deeper and deeper into hell’s pit – A soul entirely spun out of order; surely damned. I continually ate and drank vile – of all sorts. But the emptiness…oh, the emptiness…it hurt; Burning, ripping, searing, slicing, tearing… The ghostly voice just wouldn’t let me be! ‘Son…you’re much more than this… Let me in…I can help…just let me in.’ For so long I fought it…yes, I violently fought it: ‘Leave me alone! Get away from me!’ But it kept on; pushing, pressing, pleading… I couldn’t go on; I was so ablaze within. Desperate, wretched, broken, and crying – I let it in. The change was gloriously instant – a transformation Solidly nailed to peace, purity and hallowed purpose. At last, I was whole – whole and home. That night was magic…the night I was reborn. © Ikenna.C.Igwe, 2012.