“Pain”: A Review by John Owen E. Adimike

This poem is short, sharp, and it really works because of its simplicity. The repetition gives it almost a chant-like rhythm, like something you’d hear spoken out loud at a gathering, or whispered to yourself when trying to heal. It feels like a cycle: say, pain, shame, peace; each one turning over into the other, almost like they’re locked in a triangle. What stands out most is how the poem begins heavy, with pain and shame outweighing peace, but ends with a kind of hopeful twist: peace becomes possible if we “give up the pain” and “de-throne the shame.” That closing line has a quiet strength, as it’s not loud or dramatic, but it carries a sense of victory, like someone finally deciding not to carry what’s been weighing them down.

Because of how short it is, the poem feels very distilled, like you boiled something raw and complicated down to its essence. That makes it memorable. If anything, the imagery could be enhanced because it comes off as very abstract (pain, shame, peace), so adding even one or two concrete images (like “pain sits heavy on my chest” or “shame is a shadow”) could make it hit even harder without losing the clarity. All in all, as it stands, it’s powerful in its directness. It feels like a personal mantra, or even a prayer.