“Adulthood na scam” — Ladé.
Again, I walk down this path of nunu milk
and fresh ofios. I miss those days when life was nothing
but a swarm of fireflies and brown grasshoppers.
We used to be seamless souls, hunting these
creatures and giving each day a big hug
as it comes.
Our worries only cost N5, but it always
seemed like the weight of the world: the
little arithmetic sum and ‘write 5 sentences’ homework.
We never wondered how the cooking pot
got filled and clothes got clean,
and uniforms became smooth.
The big things were the small things, and the
small things were the big things.
Often, they say life’s a mystery; we, little lads,
were masters, trying different formulas: rain / sand /
marshlands / hand-made toys / tyres and bent metal
rods / to make life out of life.
How I love to be lost here, forget myself in this
brew of soothing steam.
I wonder if a teacup can hold fresh tea
without letting go of the old.
This poem was published in the 13th Issue of PoeticAfrica magazine.
Please click here to download.
More Poems:
In Somnio – Olanrewaju Oluwatosin (Nigeria)
Tender Pats – Comfort Naana Adwoa Okyere (Ghana)
My Bookshelf – Chekete Christasia (Malawi)
The Bulb We Lighted – John Akande (Nigeria)
