TO X

i waited for your return
through the frenzy of swollen clouds in July
till blistering March opened every sore in my body
nervously listening for your footfalls in the passage

when night’s heavy hand touched my brow
your face immediately lit up the dolor
i spread my arms to hold you in an embrace
but woke bereft clutching at the space

into the shadows i roved, past desolate streets
past the buzz of disco lights, past the wet alley
where nocturnal men eyed me menacingly,
and came home again to wait by the window

but i saw a tongue of flame flickering
carving up the darkness with each pulse
i washed and joined you
tucked by your side, my world seemed to fly

————————-

THE DESCENT

1.
The wind hurled me
down dizzying depths.
A centrifugal force
Leaving behind
Shattered pieces of everything.

2.
When i stand at the doorway
of my home.
A mangy kitten
Yowling in the shadows
Scouring the dirt

3.
So i left behind memories
of laughter.
And came to you
But your mahogany door
Remained unflinching at the hinges

4.
There are a thousand stops
on this journey which will
end at the beginning.
A valley of corpses
That king turned beast

5.
The beast who will one day
return a Human
Blessing the wind
Racing in the veld
Thankful for the gift of summer

————————-

A WIDOW CONTEMPLATING THE PASSAGE

At the same spot you left me
I am here
My spirit grows weary
The urgency of travellers splitting me
The cacophony and scurrying
And all the motion

I think of you at the end
Dissipated
You with all the pace
And how you trudged on
Through the last lap

You would come for me
And I will know
When the ripple stills
And desires no longer knock
On the doors of my soul

Is this all there is then?
Fleeting moments of pleasure
Overwhelming pain
Impending fate at the bottom
I even dream of termites gnawing at my face
My once pretty face

But now I am rooted
At that same spot
The bus station where you left me
Watching men scurry
Chasing their dreams in this dream
Staring at yonder
For the final passage

————————-
Poem (c) Victor Eyo
Image: Pixabay.com