When?
I have chosen patience in these ocean depths,
watching the skeletons beneath me gaze.
Do not let me drown when my strength
stretches upward toward the surface.
The devil is in the detail.
Deliver me from false dawns,
from beautiful aliens
who speak with fire in their breath.
Open my paws,
let them see the iron walls
I alone can muster.
Unmask my deluge,
my face aches from its weight.
Point me forward,
my heart still aims for it.
But when I bend to the rules,
and my back breaks from them.
What do I do?
When do I do it?
( The Poem is an excerpt from Fortune Omosola’s Collection: Down The Tunnel )
Short Analysis:
The poem “When?” explores the tension between endurance and the urgent need for release. The speaker appeals to God, revealing the suffocating weight of patience, haunted by past struggles and missteps. He wrestles with false hopes and alluring distractions, yet plead not to be consumed by them. The imagery of “iron walls” hidden within their paws reflects both vulnerability and inner strength, suggesting a resilience that refuses to vanish even when burdened.
The piece is a meditation on timing and survival, asking not only what to do, but when to act. The speaker bends under societal rules and personal burdens until their back nearly breaks, yet they remain conscious of the need to move forward. By ending with unresolved questions, the poem mirrors the uncertainty of life itself, where clarity often hides just beyond reach. It becomes both a cry for deliverance and a declaration of endurance, holding space between despair and defiance.
