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Breath Without Apology

Breath Without Apology

I stand here,  
with a chest full of echoes,  
and a tongue heavy with prayers.  

I want a life,  
not stitched in fear,  
but woven in safety,  
like a blanket that never tears.  

I want a love,  
not a riddle,  
not a puzzle with missing pieces,  
but a flame steady,  
burning without question,  
a hand that does not tremble  
when it reaches for mine.  

I want peace,  
not the fragile kind,  
not the one that vanishes  
when silence enters the room,  
but peace that lingers,  
like incense in the rafters,  
like dawn refusing to surrender to night.  

I want simplicity,  
the kind that feels like home,  
like laughter spilling in kitchens,  
like children chasing shadows,  
like the sound of rain  
reminding us we are alive.  

And if you ask me again,  
what I want,  
I will tell you
I want to breathe without apology,  
to love without armor,  
to rest without ghosts,  
to live before dying,  
to begin before ending.  

© Tr. Elvis Otieno Gikoi 
® ArtFromHeart

Copyright © Otieno Elvis Gikoi | Year Posted 2026

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