Robert Okaji

Self-Portrait as Exclamation Point

I shout. I declare. I warn
and emphasize in muted glory.
A full stop point with vertical
arm, born in joy, signifying
admiration or perhaps a shift
in tone, I brace for meaning.
This is my hope: to be
heard, though silent.  
To augment a voice, to blend
in harmony, one note otherwise
unnoticed, alone, reaching
back to gather and trundle
forward all that precedes  
to that ecstatic, thunderous
halt. I live to end!

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