The poetry of pen and paper

I learnt the hard way that
family may mean something
friendship may bring comfort
but the man must find

for himself ways to survive
when none is there to pat his back.
pleasure may last only for a while
and pain wouldn’t last a night.

in the ordinariness of life
I found relief on paper
scribbling bit by bit
words and emotions man will not comprehend.

when I was down, broken,
eyes filled with unwanted tears,
mind soiled by disdain
pen and paper saved my life.

Victor Oyedele