To Be Seen

What is your greatest dream? He asked,
I said to be seen,
Just to be seen, I became a master of all trades,
Just to be seen, I danced everywhere people were,
Just to be seen, I made paintings and stuck them everywhere,
Just to be seen, I learnt various skills,
Just to be seen, I faked a smile in front of the camera,
Just to be seen, I put a lot of colours on my face and bent myself in various positions for the camera,
But I wasn’t getting anywhere,
I went further to getting the most suitable partner, just to be seen,
I picked the most respected profession, just to be seen,
And spoke through my nose, just to be seen,
Yet, No one saw me.

Then everything began to crumble,
I became a master of none,
I had no more moves,
I had nowhere to stick my paintings,
I lost my skills,
I could no longer fake a smile,
No one wanted to put colours on my face and I had no camera to bend for,
My partner left,
I was failing in my profession,
My accent started to sound fake,
Yet, no one saw me,
I proceeded to relieve my pain,
And I took my own life,
I was in the news,
Everyone put up a picture of me and told me all the good things I did,
About my smile,
My talents and skills,
My partner told me how much he loved me,
My colleagues spoke of my exceptional excellence,
I was on every social media platform,
Everyone saw me,
And finally, I rested in my grave knowing,
Finally, Now they all see me.

Author: Temiloluwa Akinsola