The First Night
The first night she gave,
& you took, she cleaned up the reds
with her hijab.
After, you sat up all night
watching her sleep, moving from
side to side like the tongue
of a church bell calling…
& her body, a temple afire,
ever burning, her erected orbs
minarets calling…
You stayed up all night,
wondering at the paradox of worshiping
a God you know in a strange sanctuary.
——–
The Way She Writes
she writes like lightning and she reads in the dark
she writes like hands rubbed together to give warmth to the cold
and like cold to the warmth of the cruel
she writes like a kiss to the heart
and she writes like falling asleep in the safest arm
she writes like this is all we have and this is who we are
she writes like i belong here
and she writes like you are all i’ve got
she writes like i’m waiting for you somewhere and you might find me if you’re fast enough
she writes like you know me more than anybody else and you know it
& oh yes i know! because i know the way she writes
——–
The Girl named after a smile
at the parting of ways
the girl named after a smile
watched me with her back
my steepled fingers indecisive
calls a prayer and swallow a plea
have i come for a name?
is this the part where i stay?
——–
Poems © Taiwo Akinyemi
Image: MS Co-Pilot AI remixed