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Ibukun Tosin Poem
cluck! cluck!! cluck!!
He hammers a nail into the hardwood,
wiping sweat from his brow as the scorching sun prides itself in the middle of the sky.
He examines a curve on the casket he is making,
he is dissatisfied, he grabs a chisel and begins to chisel away carefully.
As every splinter of wood falls to the ground he nods his head in satisfaction,
he stops to wipe more sweat from his brow
he mutters something to himself,
looks up to the sky angrily and curses the heavens for the heat.
But isn't it man who brought the sun closer?
well, that is what the govt official who came to our village told us,
"global warming" he called it.
I wonder why he labours so hard to make this ugly reminder of death look perfect,
the dead do not care about aesthetics,
I do not think they care so much what happens to their bodies here bury it, burn it, they get a new one either way.
Copyright © Ibukun Tosin | Year Posted 2014
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Details |
Ibukun Tosin Poem
Chalk-white faces, chapped lips and infected footsoles,
Harmattan, she has come again, announcing her
presence like a proud royalty's entourage.
Mothers clad their infants in thick clothes
like north pole elves,
motorcyclists cruise around town with watery eyes
mourning the chill of the early morning continental
trade wind.
Dry tree leaves dance to the rhythm of the wind,
the dance of death, as they fall to the ground
amid rising dust, dry air and hazy skies,
gathering mist sits atop the mountain like a crown
on a King's head.
The local tea shop owner beams with a toothless
smile envisaging high patronage, and from the
eastern horizon a seemingly shy
thermal source rises slowly
Copyright © Ibukun Tosin | Year Posted 2014
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Details |
Ibukun Tosin Poem
Droplets of water hit the roof so hard
I could barely hear myself think
as it washed down dirt from the corrugated
roofing sheets.
The smell of dust hung around like
the scent of incense burning from the altar,
heat steamed from the sun burnt earth like water
poured on hot coal.
From my window I could see empty
polythene bags hovering in the air,
trees swaying to the rhythm of the wind
and animals scampering for shelter.
I took-off my clothes and jumped into
the rain reminiscent of my childhood when
Mother would let us dance in the rain
and bathe us with warm water afterwards.
but now I'm a grown man and all I want
to do is dance in the rain.
Copyright © Ibukun Tosin | Year Posted 2014
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