 |
| by Ayobami Kayode |
Child, saliva so white as snow is a deceit.
What lies beneath a red tongue isn't always jewels,
Sometimes humans' esophagus carries an unkempt poultry.
I don't know which is weightier,
like a pregnant elephant, between my words and your wisdom.
But hearken, life is a torrential downpour that cares less
about whose regalia is out there on the line.
I've lived life, I know how vivacious bodies accept frailty without tussle,
Like rails accept rustiness after glittering days,
Like infatuation disguising as love withers.
I've lived life, child, I know how crisp cotton transforms into rag,
Into what absorbs the water you and your siblings spill all over the place.
When I smile in the face of adversity, carry the same energy on your face.
When tomorrow comes with sandstorm that transports humans into the great beyond,
Leaving painful dust in the four corners of this home,
Etching sorrow around your eyelids,
Remember the patch of hopes that has built castles on my body,
Remember the body of your father, remember it as a strong tree
that refuses to drop a sap at the sight of a roaring, sharpened chainsaw.
Image Credit: Mashable
MEET THE POET:
AYOBAMI KAYODE is a Literature in English student at Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto. He hails from Ibadan, Oyo state, Nigeria. He is the Interviews Lead of Book O’Clock Review and the editor in chief of The Poetry CLUB UDUS. His works have been published in konya shamsrumi, punocracy, àtẹ́lẹwọ́, BBPC anthology, icefloepress, cult of Clio and elsewhere. He tweets @AyobamiKayode15
