BURNT DREAMS

Today, I saw a man drop dead by the roadside. Yesterday, a woman lay, covered with a wrapper.
I saw people with their hands on their heads and their mouths shaped ‘O’
As though in shock.
A cascade of rivers flowed from the eyes of men; humans rolling on roads with potholes that shimmered with burnt dreams.

I strained my eyes to stare hard at the corpses still shivering from the stings of death;
Eyes open, with arms pulling at their bodies to rouse them from their slumber.
I saw dreams and hopes burnt beyond recognition.
My friend turned her head to avert her gaze as we walked by, but I glared at them as if I could change their fate.
We never know when our fates will turn fatal, too.

ÀDÙKÉ ONÍLÈKÈ

I don’t know about the art of twiddling beads in my thumbs;
of fingering and fitting them, one at a time, on elastic strings.
I’m not knowledgeable about this art but I can learn and be certified.
Yes, my love, I can master the art of making beads just for you.

The way your waist tweaks in the moonlight, and my heart beats: GBIM, GBIM, GBIM!
The way your beads rattle around your bosom, on your wrists, and your waist,
pushing me off the cliff of the golden frontier you carved on your chest,
Àdùké. I don’t mind how your shoulders drop cold at your sides when my fingers linger on you.

Beautiful orbs excavated from the moon, beautiful stars from the cores of stars.
I will create art with my hands to adorn your neck with hallowed beads that angels could not afford.
I will plunge my fingers into the sun’s sockets, for you to shine and bewilder mankind with your beauty.

I will carve beads from stones, woods, from mundane things around your existence.
You will glow with translucent twinkles of light, never to be concealed from mere mortals.
And you will be named as one of the heavenly beings. I hope by then your lights shine on me.

_{Owoeye Taiwo Bisola (DECHOSEN1) is a writer that inscribes poetry on the pages of her book mainly but she also likes to create content as she deems fit. She is a lover of artists and their art. She has an anthology of poems on Amazon titled “A Colourless Hello.” She likes to meditate to music, see movies, read non-academic books (creative write-ups), and sleep when she has nothing on her hands. She hopes her love for ART will set her free someday so that she can soar the skies with unclipped wings.}

_{She can be found on Twitter: @DHECHOSEN; IG: @dhechosen1; Facebook: Owoeye Taiwo Bisola; & LinkedIn: Owoeye Taiwo Bisola}.

_).