A Requiem, Nostalgia, Moremi | Poems by Ariyo Ahmad

A REQUIEM TO MY FATHERS SHADOW IN MY EYES

I am a fracture of water from my father’s eyes –
like a drop of rain in the mouth of a spacious stream /
I fetch my father in my vein – and named him D N A –
I said my father has not kissed the sand –
he hides his face under the canopy of my skin –
stare into my eyes – my father has become a shadow of unending grace
– I wonder why in the dark – something strange always follows me

In the glorious name of the sun –
in the glorious name of the moon –
in the glorious name of my father /
whose existence has reached its zenith –
I hide my face under the large face of the moon –
I am the second coming of my father like a messiah /
for I talk the way he talks, I walk the way he walks,
even his words of wisdom rigmarole in my affluent speeches –
I laugh the way he cackles up his laughter –

He is a rare rainbow that sprays the strength of photosynthesis on me like a flower
– my father is the breadwinner of the family – whose accumulated sweat abound,
slopping down his black face has what mould food into our stomach –
he is a pioneer of my mother’s happiness for his smiles makes my mother smiles /
I looked at him with pleasing smiles that fly like a butterfly on my head –
I remember times with him and I want it again like a child craves for the night radiant moon

NOSTALGIA

By the darkest night and its embellishment
Gathered round the neem tree – is grandmother
Centroid by the little roses of children
They listened attentively like the ears of the wall
Fetching wisdom from the calabash of grandmothers’ encephalon
The moon spread her glory, unveiling the smear of darkness
Spiralling beneath every thatched roof

The constellation of stars twinkles like blinking eyes
Above the bright clear cloud
The shadows of waving leaves on the silvery sand
Touched by a little boy – sprayed by water of wonders
Grandmother laughed comically at his curiousness
For he wished to bring the leaf alive
I saw her golden face as the wind uplift the leaves camping her face

I mistook grandmothers’ advice ‘‘aim for the star’’
to mean I should fly up the sky
And feel the touch of the stars’ skin
So, I secretly come out at night
praying to be stricken with a wand of magic
to spread my wings like a bat and aim for the star

I have grown up now and it ravel to mean
I should strive hard with determination
To achieve my heart’s written desire
And to burn midnight candles
To scare my ignorance away
And with the light of the candles
Brightens my mind with the light of knowledge

MOREMI

I see Gods miracle through your eyes
In your skin, nothing dwells but heaven
Of wonders and beauty that whisk
One’s medulla into numbness
Circles of men grilled their eyes
Your body movement controls their eyelashes
Their hearts palpitated by the steps of your body
Wind dropped as your words embraced their ears

Incantation of your beauty drifts hordes of men
Curtain flickered in the mind of lustful lookers
You are the queen of pearls, swinging beneath
The tides of the oscillating oceans
Which only men that purchase patience can take
Your boldness attracts dauntless creatures
As decades ago it attracted mine
When you siege my heart with courage

Wherever you go, butterfly of fortune
dances on your flowery head, your smiles
leaves a lasting fragrance revolting with winds
I have seen miracles in your words
As it gives life to wilted flowers
It cast away darkness grievance
From the skies navel

And replace with the wings of angel face
Spreading like oceans breathe
The grace that interlocked beneath
Your eyelashes are what I saw
That I wish that you are my breath

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Ariyo Ahmad writes from Ondo state, a Nigerian poet who blends his thought into paper with his ever-flowing pen, whose inspiration is tapped from his beloved mother, and his late father who has sojourn to the land of immortal, he graciously has his poem published in nymphs magazine, madness muse magazine, Melbourne culture corner, tea light press, to mention but few, when he is not writing, he finds himself relinquishing on Khalil Gibran poems.
Twitter: @ahmad_akanni
Facebook : Ariyo Ahmad
Instagram : @ariyoahmad

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