February Writing Challenge: I Wrote 28 Poems In 28 Days

I did something last month that I had never done before, I wrote with writing prompts. Writing prompts are learning assignments that direct you to write about a particular topic. The February writing challenge was organized by The African Writers, a community dedicated to promoting, developing and connecting the new generation of African writers.

I didn’t know what to expect and I wasn’t sure I could accomplish it but I’m glad to say I nailed it. There were some days I wrote more than one poem for the prompt and I had to choose one and keep the other(s) for later. In this post, I have compiled the 28 poems I wrote for the challenge.

Day1 – Discover 

When you discover
that peace is up to you
you become as free as the wind
and as light as the air it blows

Day2 – Believe

I believe a time will come
when my thoughts will lose
competition to sleep
but for now
I use the time
to let my soul speak

Day3- No Words

I love that I’m the only one
that understands what you say
when you talk with your eyes

Day4 – Alive

When I lost you,
I lost a part of me too
Though I am breathing,
I don’t feel alive

Day5 – Picture

I painted a picture of you
to carry with me everywhere I go
though I haven’t seen you in years
I look at it every time I’m close to tears
and all is well with the world again

Day6 – Deceit

I thought
I could never be
a victim of deceit
but my heart
has been stolen before
and ripped into pieces.
It’s up to you
to show me
what I mean to you
because there’s nothing special
you can say to me
that I haven’t already written myself

Day7 – Forgiveness

I forgive you for hurting me
and using me to fill a temporary void.
I forgive you for lying to me,
and putting me last.
I forgive you for not understanding me
and moving on fast.
I forgive you for making me feel less.
I forgive you, but I will never forget.

Day8 – Healing

It is said often
that time
heals all wounds
but losing you
is a wound
that will never heal

Day9 – New Beginnings

though you’re still a mystery to me
it feels like I’ve known you all my life

Day10 – Star Struck

If you’re looking for me in the night time
you can find me outside looking at the stars
appreciating the wonder they are
while looking forward to your warm embrace

If you’re wondering what I’m thinking right now
I made a wish upon the stars
for you to always be by my side
while imagining what our future will be like

Day11 – Closer

we text all day
and stay on the phone for hours
but when we are together
we become strangers
then just as you leave
I yearn to hear from you
I feel closer to you
when we are apart
than when we are together
does this mean
we can only be
lovers from a distance?

Day12 – Gliding Hearts

The dance floor wasn’t empty
but all I saw was you
as our hearts glided
to the rhythm of love
and our bodies swayed
to the rhythm of the night

Day13 – Two are one

Everything that
belongs to me, belongs to you.
There is no me without you.
I live for you.
I breathe you.
We are one.

Day14 – Love

All my life
I thought I knew what love was
but then I met you and I realized
I’ve never truly loved anyone
the way that I love you.

Day15 – Memories

Darling, I’m growing old
from missing you
and the memories
are no longer enough
to keep me whole
my days have been long
and my nights have been rough
please come back
to your rightful place
beside me

Day16 – Regrets

I wish I never went out that night.
I wish I never gave you my number.
I wish I never replied your text.
I wish I never laughed at your jokes.
I wish I never told you I love you.
I wish I never let you in.

Day17 – Wish

If I met a genie today
and he granted me three wishes,
I’ll wish to spend eternity with you three times.

Day18 – Reflections

I thought it was love at first sight
but now that I think about it
it wasn’t love
It was a response to attention
that had never been offered
It was a desire to belong
in the couple category
It was an imagination
of something it could never be

Day19 – Higher

I wish I could fly
so high
higher than an airplane
and the birds in the sky
I’ll fly everywhere I want to go
and see the world as it really is
without guesses and imaginations
delays and expectations
but I can’t fly
and I’m no bird
I’m simply human
and stuck with wishes
that can never be granted

Day20 – Fly

If I had a chance
to see you again
I’d run across the room
fly into your arms
and stay glued to you

And even when
we both can’t breathe
I won’t let go
because seeing you again
is the only thing that really matters to me

Day21 – Dreams

I hope a time will come
when I won’t look forward to bedtime
and its sweet dreams as much as I do now
because my daytime will be sweet enough for me

Day22 – Ladders

I get tired too
tired of trying
tired of believing
tired of dreaming
I’ve climbed many ladders
and I haven’t been able to get to the top
but though I’m tired, I’m not giving up
because i believe when i get to the top
it will be totally worth the wait

Day23 – Cloud

cotton candy, marshmallows,
mashed potatoes, a soft pillow and sweet dreams
are the things that I think of when I look up at the clouds.

Day24 – Stars

All the stars are out tonight
and I can hear them speaking to me
telling me to shine, sparkle and twinkle
and throw my fear and worries in the wind

Day25 – A Smile

A traffic free journey,
A fresh bouquet of flowers,
A recognition for a job well done,
A smile from a stranger on an evening walk,
these are a few things that are special to me.

Day26 – A Tear

loving you hurts
cos I’m trying to teach my heart
not to want something it can’t have
so I’d rather shed a tear into my pillow
and hope for a better tomorrow

Day27 – Joy

I wonder why you bring me joy
but you also bring me pain
your love soothes me
but it also cuts me
I think it’s best I move on
to what’s better for me

Day28 – Fulfillment

The challenge seemed
impossible to accomplish
but I took it up anyway
Looking back at what I wrote each day
I’m happy to say I killed it all the way

I hope my words bring you joy, comfort and healing. I hope my words speak to the you inside you are hiding away. I hope my words spark your curiosity and challenge you to be better. I hope my words help you. All I need now is a publisher.

Thanks for reading and have a great week.

Mariam Shittu