love of the youth

by Yinka Emaleku

In love of the youth, Yinka Emaleku captures the raw ache and electric thrill of young love—its intensity, confusion, and fearless vulnerability. With lyrical clarity and emotional depth, the poem speaks to the beauty and heartbreak of discovering love while still discovering oneself. A resonant tribute to coming-of-age tenderness.

love of the youth

i guess, i’m still obsessed with you

i won’t find peace

‘til i describe it

it’s not even love

it’s an unhealthy pull

characterizing all my actions

towards you.

and i hate it

i hate it so much

that a few weeks ago

i found a healthy distraction

and my mind rendered you useless

now i’m over him

and stuck back on you

the one obsession.

and i hate it

that i can’t approach you

not that it’s weird

or out-of-pocket

but i never have anything to say

so, i watched and observed

but never found common ground

maybe because you’re a ball player

and i’m a little too proud

to admit that you’ve turned

my whole life around.

and i hate it

that i’m so easy

though you never approached me

i’m still falling

and i’m shocked

how you’ve never noticed

all my small talks

was to put me in your view 

but you’re occupied, i guess

you’ve always been—

you went from one girl 

to another

but never in my way

and i hate it

that after this i might probably cry

‘cause for the oddest reason

you look too good

not to be mine.

i wish you weren’t in my brain

i wish that i never even heard your name

or that you came

or that i saw

and i’ve been seeing you

ever since

and never in my way

had you looked.

nevertheless, i want you still

and i probably always will

‘til i leave

and even forget you exist

‘cause truth be told

that’s the only escape

me and my fantasies

will only keep me awake

to reminisce about love

a love i can never have

the love of the youth.

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Yinka Emaleku is a 16-year-old poet from Ondo State, Nigeria, and a first-year law student at Afe Babalola University in Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD). Though mathematics was once her favorite subject, she now finds joy in walking, cooking, organizing, and reading—her favorite book is My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite. Yinka aspires to become a full-time writer and enjoys crafting both poetry and short stories.