I was raised to think freedom
was the argument itself
two hands, rough with labor,
gripping the same idea from different ends.

Now the hands are gone.
Only the echo of applause remains,
and a nation asking quietly
who’s still brave enough to listen.

by: Stephen Ango Oliver - October 2025

Once, dissent was a candle;
now it’s a heresy.
They gather each night in digital cathedrals,
confessing others’ sins by spotlight.

Every cause has its merchandise,
every virtue its logo.
The children wear slogans
that fray before the first wash.

-Stephen Ango Oliver 10/11/2025

But then
when my own card finally works,
the doors sigh,
and I step into that humming box of light,
the smell of roasted beans rising with me,
the world lifting floor by floor
as if to say
sometimes it’s not about getting there quickly,
but about learning patience
before the first sip.

I mutter words that don’t belong in lobbies.
Someone else strolls up,
slides their card
beep.
Open sesame.
They glide skyward.
I stand there, pre-caffeinated and defeated.

I press with my elbow.
Miss.
Try again.
Miss.
You’re a judge in chrome,
smirking behind your brushed metal face.
My coffee trembles,
threatening mutiny.

Hotel Elevator (with Coffee)

Locked.
Again.
Of course.

Keycard.
Always the keycard.
One hand full of caffeine,
the other juggling gravity.
You blink red.
Cold, unfeeling,
corporate little gatekeeper.

You tried to bury me in labels.
But I grew roots instead.
I am not who you say I am.
And that should scare you more
than your lies ever scared me.

-Stephen Ango Oliver 9/13/2025

YI: 57-year-old Vance Luther Boelter was captured in 42 hours after a massive manhunt.

And the dog? Head tilted, judging us both.
It’s teamwork. It’s trust. It’s trial by trailer.
And somehow, it always brings us closer.

From the “working mom drowning in debt” act to millionaire mogul with a vineyard and venture-capital husband, it’s less Cinderella and more cash-grab comedy.

one for me, and one for the friends
who won’t ever sit across from me again.
They didn’t drink it,
but I swear the silence beside me did,
slow and steady,
like a prayer
you whisper
only to yourself.
-Stephen Ango Oliver 8/20/2025