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MERGE LITERARY MAGAZINE
FREEDOM IS YOURS

By Akbar Imhotep

There are often thoughts, images
& metaphors that scream to be heard
You wrestle with the desire to leave unspoken/
Unwritten caged beneath illusive hope &
What might have been
But there comes a moment
When they must be freed
So everyone can move towards fulfillment,
Even when it means absence, loss
& a need for recovery

There are things about love, relating
& appreciating that I’ve failed to learn
My mis-education doesn’t mean
That I haven’t been under your spell
Since the first smile, our first embrace,
That late night walk in the park
& my first overnight stay
But there comes a time
When the blind sees the pain
& the deaf hears the cries of loneliness,
Unhappiness & incompleteness.

Alone, I’ve sat in silence,
Nearby and across town,
Wanting to be a source of your happiness,
Completeness and answer to loneliness.
At some point, the spellbound must break
The power of enchantment & allow
His beloved to find her way
& know the happiness she deserves.

I’ll celebrate this recognition & transition
With fond memories of what almost was;
Burying the moments of regret 
In cemeteries of missed opportunities.
In hindsight there is something painful
About love unfulfilled.
There is also joy in memories of sweetness,
Closeness & tenderness.

I’ll allow the sweet memories to blossom
& Plant a garden of positive possibilities
For the loneliness,
We share at this crossroad.



  • HOME ISSUE #3
  • Mission and Content
  • About US
  • POETRY AND PROSE
  • BLACK MUSIC PHOTO ESSAY
  • ESSAYS ARTICLES AND FICTION
  • VISUAL ART GALLERY
  • BIOGRAPHIES
  • SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
  • Support Merge Literary Magazine
  • ISSUE #2 CELEBRATING BLACK WOMEN
  • FEATURED WRITERS AND ARTISTS
  • MERGE LITERARY MAGAZINE PRINT EDITION
  • Mission and Content
  • About US
  • POETRY
  • ESSAYS ARTICLES AND FICTION
  • Multimedia Art Review
  • PHOTOGRAPHY CELEBRATING BLACK WOMEN
  • ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
  • WRITERS AND ARTISTS BIOS
  • SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
  • ISSUE #1 POLITICAL AFFAIRS AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
    • Mission and Content
    • About US
    • POETRY
    • PROSE
    • ART ILLUSTRATION
    • ESSAYS AND PLAY
    • MULTI-MEDIA QUILT REVIEW
    • WRITERS AND ARTISTS BIOS
    • SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
    • Support Merge Literary Magazine