Nobody teaches you
how to love
a narcissistic son
How to wrap your arms
around the grand ego
engulfing his tiny body
Willing to snatch the pride
off the tip of his tongue,
to swallow it on his behalf.
And in the rushing cold that fills his soul,
show him how to
empathize
with the agony
of the world
To bow
low enough
so he can see through
the lenses of humility.
Nobody teaches you
how to strip off
the clothes of vanity
that he adorns himself with,
burning away
any remnants
of decency in himself
for the world to applaud
Flaunting
like a sun
with whole worlds revolving
around him.
Nobody teaches you
how to embrace him
when his hugs bear
the softness of cactus thorns
tearing your heart apart.
A bitter lump
rising in your throat
when his venom words are spat out
to humiliate
and intimidate
and demean.
Nobody teaches you
how to mould a son
that stands tall
to compete with the might of mountains
Stamping his feet
on every living creature
like a dirty rug
Worthless.
Invaluable.
Defective.
Nobody teaches you
how to love a son
who believes
in the godliness of his self.
***
This poem reached the semi-finals (top 8% among the over 3,500 poems submitted) in the 2020 Jack Grapes Poetry Prize alhamdulilah!! Immense gratitude to my poetry teacher and inspiration, Finch (Ahmed Shayo) for constantly pushing me to improve my art. Been staring at my name y’all, still can’t believe it 😀 Anyway, here’s the link to the semi-finalists so you can enjoy the moment with me 🙂 : https://www.culturalweekly.com/2020-jack-grapes-poetry-prize-the-semifinalists/ (Winners have already been announced by the way 🙂 ) Thank you for your constant support!
