Leash

Kwesi Senyo

They used to hide in the dark watching every move I make.
But I can’t see them anymore
I guess you took my fears away. But I’m afraid to admit it out loud
because they might hear and know you’re the reason I’m not afraid to smile anymore.
They will know you’re the reason for this confidence and come after you.

So let me hide you. for this season and the next.
Just until the winds and the snow tell me it’s safe to reveal you to the world.
Let me hide you as fragments of my thoughts embedded in different memories.
Let me hide you in shards and keep you high up in the sky.
So that you’ll shine on nights I stare at the night sky.
And when it’s safe, I’ll bring you outside.
I’ll bring you home, hoping that your fears don’t haunt me too.

But when they come after me, don’t hide me.
Allow them to take me. So, I can learn from them.
learn why they overwhelm you.
learn why they make you feel so fragile when in fact you’re very strong.
I’ll stay and learn so that when I finally escape from them and return home,
I’ll teach you how to overcome them.


Kwesi Senyo is a Ghanaian poet and writer. He is currently a student and enjoys everything that has to do with art.