Blossom

A dead past does not put a halt to a new future.

A year later, Kaffy, a highly intelligent, creative, bookish, and preppy Nigerian-Canadian 15-year-old girl was released from juvenile prison. She was arrested and charged with petty theft and assault, and was sentenced to a year in prison. Her sentence was supposed to be 6 months for stealing a lollipop, a chocolate bar, a pack of playing cards, and a bag of Cheeto's cheesies from 7-Eleven, but she received another 6 months for kicking, punching, and hitting another female inmate across the face during an altercation in the canteen.

Being released from juvenile prison meant no more tasteless, unappetizing, vomit-looking prison slop, no more uncomfortable bunk beds, no more gossip amongst female inmates, no more being told to wake up at 7 am, no more being screamed at and scolded by intimidating prison guards, no more getting into and witnessing arguments, no more cleaning toilets and sinks, no more waiting in line to use the bathroom or to take a shower, no more supervised visits with Mama, Papa, and her little brother, and best of all, no more orange jumpsuits and unbraided hair. She got to wear her favourite tropical fruit-scented lip gloss, blue skinny jeans and chino pants, loose, oversized graphic t-shirts, white and pink sneakers her mother got her for her birthday, handmade affirmation bracelets, and she got to finally braid her hair. She wore microbraids that'd touch her shoulder-blades, and she loved them very much. Her microbraids reminded her that being black is beautiful and unique.

New beginnings were like taking deep breaths of fresh air. Kaffy was back in the comfort and safety of her small, cozy, peaceful white-washed bungalow she and her family dwelled in. One thing Kaffy looked forward to doing once she was released was writing more poetry in peace and quiet, whenever and wherever she desired. Kaffy has always been a talented poet who'd perform at school talent shows, take and post videos of herself reciting self-written poems on YouTube, write poems in her secret diary during recess, and would teach her close friends how to write like a real poet. During her prison sentence, she'd lucid dream about writing and publishing a bestselling poetry book that'd attract readers from around the world, and becoming a famous international poet who'd be asked to recite and read her poems at various venues around the world and in Canada. When she was incarcerated, she’d even write poems about being Nigerian and female, bullying, racism, friendship, her homeland, African cuisine and culture, and being a big sister as a way to kill time and stay out of trouble during her sentence, even if it didn't always do the trick. She'd write poems in English, French, and Yoruba, her mother tongue. Sometimes, she'd even create a secret code using emojis and symbols, and write the poems using her secret code, so people wouldn't read poems she'd write about difficult subject matters. Poetry wasn't just a hobby for her. It was a way out of trouble, her sweet escape. It became a tattoo she'd keep on, reminding her to stay focused if she wanted to become a famous poet one day.

March Break was on its merry way, and she exuberantly and gently reminded herself, "Kaffy, you can do anything you put your mind to. It doesn’t matter what anyone else says, young or old. Keep running for what you want, because you matter at the end of the day."

The mundane, tiring, homework and chores-filled weekend became history, and now March Break has arrived! Still in her ballet slipper-pink, short sleeve, knee-length nightgown, Kaffy rose out of bed, got her fuzzy fuchsia pink slippers on her feet, opened the blue-violet curtains, and said hello to the morning sun. Nature’s music was echoing all around the house. The first day of March Break was going to be a meaningful day. Kaffy had plans to spend time in her spacious backyard, reading and writing under the sakura tree, and just enjoying time to herself. She was happy and grateful that she doesn’t have to spend March Break sitting in an ugly, messy prison cell in an unattractive, baggy orange jumpsuit.

The first thing Kaffy got her hands on was her dark purple furry notebook she purchased at Dollarama a couple months before March Break began. She loved her notebook like she loved her family and friends. It provided her a safe space to express all of her emotions without getting punished.

With her dark purple furry notebook and inky black pens in her hands, Kaffy got herself situated in her backyard, under the sakura tree. She sat comfortably in the shade, put her magenta-framed round glasses on, grabbed one of her pens and started writing down poetry topic ideas. She came up with multiple topic ideas such as being African and female, growing up, finishing high school, friendship, family, and nature. She didn’t know if she wanted to write the poem in English, French, or Yoruba.

She reached the verdict. She was going to write an English poem about maturity and the willingness to be a better version of herself. This was a key topic to write about, because Kaffy was highly determined to improve her life and become a new version of who she is. She wasn’t going to publish or write a final draft, because she wanted it to be a literary masterpiece that she can publish in the feature. Kaffy finally came up with a title for her poem: Blossom. Blossom was going to be a free verse poem about maturity, strength, and moving forward. In the comfort and calmness of nature, Kaffy began crafting a rough draft of her poem in her favourite notebook.

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