Bantu Migrations

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Day 9

1.
There is a bus stop bench
that used to be
Part of the largest tree
in a forest

It
does not think about
the benefits of its past life,
it just waits to be useful in this one

The pain of remembering
a past life in this one
Would splinter stillness
If realizations of purpose
Were not fast forward glimpses
into the quilts of Eternity

2.
A man waits
for a bus that is late
He used to ride ones
on streets paved with
faces like his

Unlike most Nigerian men
his past is more his present
than indicative of it
He has been soft before the battering
And being the cushion himself
there was no thud from
falling from grace

A woman with a face stoned
into the pavement of his country approaches
looking like she knows how to tell a story

3.
As he never guesses wrong
Their paths have crossed
They have had the same gravel under their feet
Explaining why they look similar:
From falling face first,
him softer than her

The dangling remembrance
of what it means to be from earth,
mixed with what it means to be
hard as a rock
Shake from her face with every laugh
that stealing glimpses from
the underside of eternity's quilt
bring

Being a cushion himself
it is easy to see the blanketing comfort
of the past in this man
and feel obligated to it

Strength sits in her,
of the essence of earth,
the resilience of stone,
importance of thread,
and its frailty
It is anxious always
for a chance to be of use
...So is she

They talk about how
in the 80s
there were only 3 things
in their city
almost as famous as
a Nigerian Micheal Jackson,
King Sunny Ade,
and Nollywood films

"Everything was such and such,
this film broke my heart,
our government has always been...
Our people never were...
If it happens again,
I wont be a part of..."

Not from arrogance
but amusement
and humility
She omits any knowledge connecting
her to certain things,
most importantly
her name

Musters up the opportunity for
leave and vitality
in the form of an arriving bus,
Then
introduces herself as the third
and most famous thing,
and a mouth flies open
to let out a
"My, you've... aged"

A bench
and a woman
look at a bus stop,
smiling

Half trying to keep from crying
Half remembering past lives
and new purpose

The pain of remembering a past life,
in this one,
would splinter stillness
without this realization
as a forward glimpse
into eternity

......My mother, was the crown jewel of our city,..........once

Day 8

1.
Fate is an opiate
Aiding us into remission from others
There is no conflict in such knowledge
Just understanding of order

2.

Would is a word of
arrogance and paranoia
That reclaims a Godliness
We relinquished a long time ago

3.

If there were no cars,
no roads,
no hate,
no syringes,
no diseases,
no hospitals
I would still be arrogant enough
to think there was something
I could do about your death(s)
I would still be wondering if
living through is me permanent markering
Blacking
your future and looking for reflections
in its darkness
But I don't get to wonder the way I would want to
and that will never be okay

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Day 7

Two Different Too Different

Love is a four letter word,

so is Like and..

thanks to these Two

there are now Four I hate

(okay okay okay, Hate is strong how is ANNOYthe

Muthaflaabaudgabada Hell outta me

at this PARTICULAR moment in time?)

Love:

You, you play it like a selfish tune

pretending that it has nothing to do

with the people watching you

And all it does

is make it seem like

everything sincere about you ...

is False

Like:

Confidence is a hat for you

You could wear it backwards

or even take it off

No one would know the difference

Hi again Pantoum,

So,

relationships are so short lived for me

they barely ever happen.

I'm a love em and leave em,

keep it moving but

dont keep em type.

I'll holla at you soon

(don't wait by the phone)

Monday, August 3, 2009

Day 6

Safiyah

(is one of those topics you don't dare want to ever stop writing about)

Spirits on that skin of hers

Body is not brought nor carried, more glided through, guided to

Baited by her laugh, memorized into many,

Something about love smeared on her hands

Body is not brought nor carried, more glided through, guided to

Nothing as sacred could be optional. Sincerely,

something about love smeared on her hands

The gem of a would be girl exists in darkness

Nothing as scared could be optional, sincerely.

Baited by her laugh, memorized into many

The gem of a would be girl exists, in Darkness

Spirits on that skin of hers

Day 5 (our first date turned out to be imperfect as it were... get over it.. you know you liked it)

Jock.(Jacques)

Arrogantly indescribably hue ignorant to your type of beautiful,

Redemption is audacious when walking as a failing man

If ever there were a reason to doubtingly know feeling,

In Quiet.loud abrasive and hidden

Redemption is audacious. When walking as a failing man,

fondling forges forests that refuse to be lost in landscapes

If ever there were reason to doubtingly know feeling

Acquiescence, in prolificness, is the lushness of a self story

Fondling forges forests that refuse to be lost in landscapes

If ever there were reason to doubtingly know feeling,

acquiescence in prolificness, the lushness of a self story

Looking to realize mistakes hiding as reconnects to a reclaimer's future

Dear Pantoum.

Hi,

so... ummm....

I know you have a lot of hoes... that you like.. like alot and maybe even one that you are thinking about making your girlfriend/ permanent boothang(F***thatB*** Saf! i only used her to get closer to you anyways). but um.. i was just wondering i mean just thinking that maybe if we like spent sometime together you might get to know me and like me. Possibly ... like.. um .. i could come over to your place.. iounno maybe make you some dinner ... you like pasta?

and um yea.. iounno or iounno we could go to a poetry spot or sumthin..(i heard they havent been seeing yo face in those lately).. um butchea i aint desperate or nuthin just tryna make destiny happen fate has been a lil lazy lately feel muh..

so umm.. but .. umm

uhh yea. so like and then

yea maybe then you could like me?

and then maybe SHOW you like me

so i know....

word.

like it was just a suggestion

like im not pressed or anything..?

so.um

yea...

when can i come over?

friday.