“Reflection
Reflection

By Ikenna Onyegbula

There are days

when past sorrow drowns me thick beneath vast bodies of fear

deep within great lonely. Days of endless night.

it is then I become artist; then that I draw grace

in the shape of two brown feet

hardened and calloused, planted firmly above ground

I paint resilience as broad black streaks of chaotic discord.

These are the days when I come to learn

the true value of pain

the days when I am choiced to slave away silently in despair

or have enough nerve to shake off my shackles

burst through my prison, beat blood shakily through veined wings

and fly. It is not always easy. I am not always successful.

Yet these are the days when I learn that hate can sometimes

create a butterfly effect that results in love.

Poems in Passage

Thank you to our partners:

TTC

Aga Khan Museam

Pattison

Design and layout by Marissa Korda and Marta Ryczko

Picture of the Reflection ad poster taken on the Toronto subway in April, 2024.