“…How
Do I salvage the wrecked steel of my heart from the red
Of an unholy war?”— Timi Sanni
Bundle this noise out my window.
Huddle me against the world. Warm Lord,
You cuddle me when I grow cold
With loneliness. I have traipsed
To this wonderland—alas—to meet
The ruins of a sacred horse
Tethered to a crumbling pole. I have met the broken urns—
Riven limbs of peace flung about for sightseeing.
Have I come to the desert to break
My white-furred camel?
An oasis before me is riddled with pebbles;
O thirst! This thirst for light—this light so near,
Yet so distant to harbour my weary heart. O
Tumescent feet! I do not want to walk away
Vanquished by a holy war. But this hour of
My sojourn is a world of dilemma. O Lord,
Shift the fullness of your lamp
To the dim land of my quest: lighten my path.
Let my life not wear away into an earnest damnation.
As a student of English and Literary Studies at Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Arikewusola Abdul Awal is currently busy figuring out many things at a time. His recent writings have appeared/are forthcoming in The Zinnia Journal, Eunoia Review, One magazine, and South Florida Poetry Journal. He tweets @Awalbabatunde11
Featured Image by Nsikan Effiong