Cactus

Yours is a snowshoe devotion
—a heart built for all weather. 

Friends say you’re prone, that
You’re made up of small bones 
Of emotions. Tendon of smile,
Vein of laughter— you’re soft 
& warm like the bosom of sky!

But how do you keep 
The lungs longing—
How do you breathe 
Under a pile of sad songs?
How do you dredge an oasis |
In the Sahara of compassion?

When love becomes extreme sport, 
You become a bowl of sacrifice 
At conjugal crossroads—
A Fibonacci of sentiments 
& survival. 


Bug

The sun is cheerless.
The uber ride, prosaic.
This afternoon, I’m working alone—
paid to pry, pervade intimate spaces.

I allow myself to dream
as I navigate private terrains.
Allow fringe fantasies take me
away from the unpleasantness 
of riffling through chests 
of undies & medicines.
Of frisking furniture, 
draperies & decor
for static ghosts.

I do not find a bug—
I have never found one.
I do not find a hidden camera.
I fear I will stumble on a secret
dollar stash or exotic sex toys.
I find vanity in abundance.
I find riches gathering mold.
I find a poem in every cabinet
—a set of Louis Vuitton glass,
an assortment of luxury scents 
& peculiar spirits 

I do not find a bug—
only designer paranoia
& expensive nightmares


Dinner

water rushes
from a sink faucet

the simmering of soup
is masked by fluttering lid

& hissing fire—cocktail
of sounds & aroma

from your kitchen
twists knobs within me.

I wait with an appetite
of washed cutlery &

a bed of China…
You come to me sizzling,

naked proteins dripping oil
—a full plate of desire.

Featured Image by Faith ‘Creative’ NK

One Comment

  1. Jide Badmus is not a new handwriting on the white paper. In fact, his pen is a religious explorer of this aesthetic terrain. I like reading him. 🤠👍👌💕

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *