Oketokun Abayomi Tolulope
O.A.T.©
The memories of old are not enough
to get me through a lifetime.
My dreams are reflection of the good days and serene nights.
With you, this pain I nurse has no house in my heart.
The nights are colder,
My days are longer.
Promises of the stars fade away.
A pool of tears flood my bed,
Feeling the hurt that every drop carries.
“Rain brings blessings”
But that night’s rain took you from me.
I was an unarmed soldier,
Unprepared for war.
The street was calm,
Couples played with words, shared smiles and joined hands innocently.
No better sight of love.
Babies yelled for attention,
Forcing mothers to talk hurried steps in response.
Old men found solace in the gardens,
Occasionally stealing glances at the beauty of nature.
Young boys hummed happy songs as they rode their one-in-town bicycles.
The saints hailing their God for the good things of life.
With no notice, chaos overthroned peace.
The babies seize to wail, their life has been cut short.
Bicycles lie around, the young boys now lie in waste.
Lovers fled to no end, meeting death at all sides, they never got a chance to share one more kiss.
The saint call on the man above, hope might smile on them on the harvest day.
Old men are gone, who will possess their possession?
My love, rise from this waste.
War should not seize you from me.
How will I live through this day without you by my side?
Tell the soldiers to return and claim my soul,
They have taken my reason for living.
What am I now? But a man living with a dead soul.
