A Poet's Promise

One painful line at a time

Carved in bitterness

Polished with tears,

Heavy with

The unweighable weight

Of defeat,

Bruised and bled

By the sharpest dagger

Of ruthless criticism,

Racing against

That undefeated tyrant

Called time.

Yet fighting,

Yet lighting,

One tiny lamp

For the Cold Darkness

Of

Pure Despair.

Let me die birthing these lines,

If only you would cradle them

Do not let them fade…

Raw, crazed,

They will return your love

A thousand-fold.

That’s a poet’s promise.

-       From ‘A Poet’s Promise’ by Dr Rositta Joseph, Black Eagle Books, USA, 2025