Edidiong Bassey writes

I KNOW THE MILES

do not tell me,
i know the miles
we've covered.
i know the songs
of twisted tongues;
of falling droplets;
of battered souls;
of furrowed hearts
that melt into a dirge.
do not tell me
see! i know...i know...
i know melancholy
by his code name;
the one you only
hear in slums and
the dark corners
of streets...
i have seen bitterness,
we converse every day.
so do not tell me about
this world of pains,
for i live it everyday,
i mix it in quinine
words and drink
it up: a medication...

The Distance -- Laura Gomez