POEM: When The Party Ends by Afia Nicholas (26th January 2023.)

When the party ends:

When the party ends for now, and we sway out into the street,

Laughing and remembering the night we’ve had,

Planning eagerly for the next soiree,

I want you to know that

I’m in it for a good time, fun time and a life-long time.

Long after the fame and long after the new-ness of it all.

Long after the celebrations and congratulations,

Long after the first pictures and markers of success,

Long after the thrill of proving doubters wrong wanes;

Long after winning our first awards,

Long after the shine of social validation subsides.

I’ll be here long after the cameras click and roll

Because we have to click continuously.

We roll out of bed every morning joyfully

Because at the end of the day, what matters most is each other.

I’ll be here as we run this mettle-making marathon together,

Forever running, gratefully running but

Pacing and preparing ourselves for the joys and challenges to come.

I’ll be here for the fleeting fickle adulation and brief distractions.

I’ll be here in the pursuit of us, of oneness, of self-actualization.

I’ll be here when you put down pretences and performances

And come back to the very core of your being.

I’ll be here when you pick up your pen again

And write my thoughts on paper,

Painting my ideas in written form,

Planning our future.

I’ll be here as we hold our loved ones close,

And spread our arms wide around them,

Our heart shimmering with gratitude.

I’ll be here as we continue to grow.

I am forever here – immaterial and immortal, a part of you.

We came into this world together and we dance this dance of light as the sun rises each morning,

As each party ends and we prepare for another fun time,

Knowing that we can dance through anything, you and me.

I give strength to your physical being,

I give you your shine and you reflect it back,

 – a beautiful song between body and soul.

© Afia Nicholas 26th January 2023.