THERE WAS ONCE SOMETHING SPECIAL HERE

You can tell by the shape of the pieces

The trailing blood and the aura of warmth

That there was once a heart here

And the winds of memory floating by

Still fan the flame that raged in it

You can gauge from the markings on the walls

The piercing font and the scrambled letters

That a name was etched by cupid’s arrow

And the sunset glow of the text

Still hints of a golden history

You can sense from the tremble of the chambers

The undying pulse and the scent of a beloved

That the heart once danced to a dreamer’s beat

And the hollow ring of wedding bells

Still haunts what could have been

You can taste in the beads of water

The pouring rain and the salty puddles

That tears are words the heart can’t express

And the cloud that sheds them

Still leaves “goodbye” behind

You can see in the drag of finger prints

The gathering mass and the mist of sweat

That someone is slowly collecting the pieces

But the feeling that used to live here

Still hides in the shadows of the heart

Tom won 1,000 USD, an autographed copy of Wheels by Kwame Dawes and a trip to the Storymoja Festival in Nairobi.