Who They Want

Courtesy: UNHCR/Dominic Nahr

This is the seventh in a poetry series created from lyrics of musical classics.

The piece you are about to read begins with the seventh line of the song “Easy” by Lionel Richie.

Everybody wants me to be who they want me to be.

But I’m just swingin’ and making merry being myself.

They talk such trash around me it’s hard to imagine

Not feeling put away like a bird stuck in its cage cell

But I defined myself for myself no doubt cause I am

This close to decoding an overdrive translation of me,

They spit every answer in the form of a questionnaire

It’s complicated to escape but ama stand and stay free,

And stay true to the original plan it’s the only way I see

Myself crossing that river leaving behind this negativity,

Until I pull all the plugs I’ll never really dig the reason

Everybody wants me to be who they want me to be.

Akpan