I hoped and I prayed that time would bring you back to me 

Bring us back to the way that things used to be 

To the way things were before her

and her and her and her and her 

When all you wanted was me and only me 

And I somehow managed to satisfy your needs

Enticing you to return day after day 

Before, suddenly I was no longer enough

And your eyes began to roam

Soon, your heart followed 

If only I could count the number of times I decided to turn a side-eye

Convince myself that you did love me 

And that maybe if I was enough you would stay 

That maybe if I did this and that you would finally love me again

That you would finally come home 

The home that we spent so much time building 

Yet took so little time to fall apart

But within time, I seemed to have lost myself

Lost myself in the yearning for you 

Lost myself thinking that if I was good enough, you’d stay 

That you’d want me, that you’d actually pick me for once 

But truthfully, I had always been enough 

And always will be 

So I’m glad that time has finally allowed me to see

The truth that lies within me 

This truth stems from no man, no relationship or sexual encounter 

This here is all me

So I thank God for time

The time to finally see that you were never for me 

Elikem’s Corner, a series of poems from our Editor-In-Chief, Elikem Thee Poet. These poems give insight to a piece of her world; her own lived experiences and the experiences of people around her.