In Ibadan's streets, I wandered, lost and alone

A heart once full, now shattered, like a mirror overthrown

Desires ravaged, like a war-torn land

Prurience's grip, a suffocating hand

Memories haunted, of a teacher's deceitful kiss

JSS2 innocence, lost in shame's abyss

Wounds festered, no one to blame

Solace sought, in arms that brought only pain

Love vanished, like a mirage in the dark of night

Each encounter, a fleeting high, then a crushing light

Lust raged, like a storm that consumed my soul

Leaving me forlorn, with a heart that lost its goal

Stillness yearned, a place to call my own

But like a nomad, I roamed, forever to atone

A wise one's guidance, a temporary reprieve

But fate's cruel hand, my demons to retrieve

Then, the wise one's mask slipped, revealing a monster's face

Betrayal cut deep, a wound that time won't erase

The nightmare repeated, the wound reopened wide

"Home" a disguise, for hell inside

Pain renewed, cycle with no escape

Home a distant dream, a place I'll never create

Shadows of violence, love a lie

Forever trapped, in this endless, anguished sigh

I cry out, "Where is home?" in the dark of night

"Home is the hurt, the familiar pain"

The wise one's betrayal, a wound that won't heal

A shattered refuge, where love's light will never reveal

In this darkness, I search for a glimmer of hope

A chance to escape, this endless, painful scope

But it's hard to find, when the heart is so sore

And the memories of betrayal, forever roar.

@theyorubaprincess

#ikopoetrychallenge2024