THE CRADLE (ISSUE 6)

THE CRADLE (ISSUE 6)

THE POETRY OF MY FATHER

By Jonathan Otamere Endurance

Before the night drew sketches on our skin
Like rashes rolling into rhythm of unpleasantness,
He was an elixir of a minor hope
Painted with hue of unaccomplished dreams
Like a man biting his lips into
An alliteration of regret.

The elongated red sofa
Was a donkey seat
Where his pain painted pants
With a monochrome of a heaving heart.

Pain became a lump in his belly,
As hard and frustrating
As the stubborn night who refuses
To part for dawn;
We watched with a reminiscent of folded arms
And flying eyes
Into the air of uncertainty…

The air became the “S”
In Silence, Struggle, Strain and Stupor
For the night didn’t wash into the
Beauty of dawn.

His lips became a virgin of silence
— ours — not a major difference
For we only hoped for a minor miracle.
Still, the night didn’t run into the
Safety of dawn,
Like a child runs to his mother
When pain becomes his foe.

Darkness took his hand —
They only wanted a walk of voyage
To ask death —
Why she sings songs of unrhymed dirges…

That night, they didn’t come;
We waited…
Waited…
And waited…
Till our lips became a replica of silence
And our feet — buried in the stillness of time
Before they died a natural death…

Jonathan Otamere Endurance is a poet and student of the University of Benin who believes in writing as a means of correcting communal ills. He hails from Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria.

BUTTERFLY by Prosper Ifeatuchukwu Anyi

Butterfly, butterfly

Very beautiful at sight

It flaps its wings and takes a flight

Flying not too much a height

Making my mood just so light

In your many colors lie your might

Oh butterfly, will you come around tonight?

Prosper, eight years old, is the last child of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Anyi; from Nomeh Unateze in Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu state. She is a primary four pupil of Goshen International School, Enugu. She loves reading, writing and acting. She has written three dramas aimed at promoting healthy practices like hand washing and sleeping under the mosquito treated net. Her Igbo poem titled, ‘Anwunta kwem zuru ike ‘ captures it well. Prosper aspires to be a lawyer in future but not playing down on her love for poetry.

“I MISS YOU”

By Hanamel Kingston Onyx

Dear June,

Since you left me here

to spend Christmas

in your village, it’s been

like thirsty years in the

Sahara. I miss you the

way codeine addicts

crave the after-high of

the purple serum. Every

night, I lay on my bed

conjuring vivid images

of your face in my head.

Every width of your soul

reeks of beauty and gets

me drooling.

Our kind of love na

waya, e nor get

photocopy. It is birthed

in Eden…pure and perfect.

My beloved mmara’nma,

send me pictures of your

feet…nne, you have the

most gorgeous pair

of feet I’ve ever seen.

Their Irish creaminess

blends into your caramel

complexion.

How your silky hairiness

cascades from your

thighs to your ankles,

giving your full legs pure

sexiness.

I drivel at the sight of

your legs. I love you June,

and you happen to me like

light feather punches to

my heart.

You are my kryptonite.

In times like this, all I

wanna do with you is;

a warm bath, slurped

kisses, sweet cuddles and

childish slumbers. I miss

you and wish I can come

to your village.

– yours faithfully restless in love,

Hanamel.

***

“YOU’RE A DREAM I CAN’T WAKE UP FROM”

Dear Hanamel,

Come honey, come my

love, come to me, and

see my little village.

When it’s morning,

we’ll walk the deserted

pathways, lined with

wild thorny bushes,

hand in hand as you

tell me stuff that

caresses my belly with

cobble wobbles,

hitting my fragile

heart like mild hurricanes.

The old folk will stare,

mouth agape, jealous

and disapproving.

Our peers will watch

us walk on by, aching

for our kind of love.

When dusk crawls into

nightfall, we’ll make

endless love under the

shadows of the Udara

tree. With only the

rustling of leaves and

chirping of crickets

bearing witness to the

entwining of our souls.

We’ll be naked and

slippery, oblivious and

entangled; lost in our

own bubble of sheer

ecstasy, drinking from

the depths of each

other’s essence. Until

the biting harmattan

wind threatens to

freeze us to death.

Just because you’re a

dream I can’t wake up

from.

– yours forever and always in love,

June.

(Inspiration: June Mmesoma Mmeje, Faculty of Law, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State)

Hanamel Kingston Onyx is a Nigerian from Benue state and an English Major student in the University of Port Harcourt. He is an artist, an active bookstagrammer, poet, playwright, writer and social media influencer who is bent on making an impact through his writing. His primary focus is on creatively sharing his experiences, lessons and mistakes via written and spoken word.