LOVE Poem: Rejection and Acceptance, by Alexis Ogunmokun

When you’re denied
All of the nice things in life
It stings

Try to alleviate that pain
With your favorite poison
A promising painter did that

He died
Yet his apartment
Went up in flames

But his painting of me
Remained untouched
By the flames

When denied
All things becomes
Pins and needles

It happened to me countless times
When I am applying for a job
Or submitting literary works

For free with no money
All I can do is get high
On pain

Because I love pain
So much
I bottle it up

I wonder how
It feels when you gain acceptance
It feels good

They said
After being accepted
For their works

Gaining all of the fame, the fortune and fan adoration
For all the right reasons
Or the wrong reasons