By Jakeob Anderson

I have been hiding all my life,
This world, smaller than my mother’s womb,
Inelastic.
I have nowhere to go but here.

My father’s only son is a weakling;
Expectation robs him of strength.
They call him ‘Kojo Besia’,
Flamboyant, abomination.

My mother knows what I am.
She’d rather die than acknowledge it.
Thus, my every waking moment
Is filled with silent derision.

I breathe in reverse so I won’t die.
Shadow is light, fear is safety,
And despair is my only right. Still,
I tell myself tomorrow will be better.

How do you cope when you can never be ordinary?

Jakeob is a queer Ghanaian writer & poet. Growing up, he was fascinated by words, and this interest led to his early exposure to reading, and later, writing.  Having almost always written for self and leisure, I Sing in Colour Like Spring, is his first public contribution to queer art.  Find him on Twitter @jakeobs_cross.