Unapologetic,
Crudely butchered, left untended,
Like the carcass of a lost goat,
Unspeakably African, even in death,
Eyes glazed wide open by the sun kindly.
He wailed and wailed, and wailed,
Pause, now he sobs quietly, tied up for warmth
beneath his mother’s wrapper,
Even as her back gets colder and
her warmth leached into the sunlight.
Red and unbothered yet.
He wailed and wailed, and wailed,
Pause, now he cries quietly, unseen, unheard,
Beneath a field of cold, dead bodies and
heaps of uncombed, untouched heads,
The sun saw it all, and I, red…not hate but more,
Sang deep into the evening of my nation.
My song of rebirth tuned in,
Accompanied by the whine and wine,
Of bullets and blood, and the drumbeats
of thudding hearts at war,
Reborn but nothing’s changed.
About the Author:
Ayoola Oyeniyi is a poet whose writing seeks to capture and crystallize real-life events in our society. He writes mostly poetry and short stories and has published a poetry book called ‘an ant’s antics’. He has also been published as a Sentinel Champion, as well as online by writing blogs. His social media handles: Twitter: @ayoolaoyeniyi73 Instagram: @ayoolaoyeniyi