DARK ROMANTICISM: "STITCHED SHADOWS" BY ABDULMALIK YAHAYA (THE PUNSMITH)

Will I unlearn what's true

and bruised, 

in this hide and seek,

surviving the theft of time,

and my favourite muse?

Amidst the world of few,

many are poised to stitch my 

shadows to the wind,

as though a man 

can choose

which silence births his skin.

I wander while clocks choke,

when moments 

mourn their names,

will every truth once spoken

still bow before flames?

For what is love 

but ache

dressed in a robe of bloom?

A candle lit, 

wide awake,

inside a breathing tomb.

I have buried names

even sleep 

refuses to keep.

My pulse persists on rusted roofs,

like rain,

collecting broken myths

as evidence of proof.

The stars have learned to lean

on shoulders 

carved by grief,

even the moon has lived 

a beggar,

disguised as king.

Let them seek my fall,

their fingers sharp 

with spite,

the soul 

outlives them all

when guarded by the night.

If I lose this trail through time,

to hours 

I could not save,

I’ll leave my ghost in grace,

unburied

and engraved.

© Abdulmalik Yahya (The Punsmith)

- Nigeria 

07-05-2026

The poem poem "Stitched Shadows" by ABDULMALIK YAHAYA explores a speaker haunted by pain, fading memories, and the relentless passage of time. Through dark and vivid imagery, the poet portrays love as both beautiful and painful, while grief becomes a permanent companion that shapes the soul. Despite betrayal, silence, and suffering, the speaker remains resilient, determined to leave behind a lasting spirit that outlives hardship and time itself.