Mary Ann Olaoye
from within
i dig deeper
and you,
well up from within
1 – innocence
(for indihi)
with you, i try to recover those lost years
i gather them around me like a wrap
but they are like air, too free and loose to be contained in a place
or gathered as a shield against naked memories
yet so alive and bare it brings with it
sounds and silence of my baby steps
life grew before my eyes
and you, beautiful bouquet of flowers
with your petals of smiles
and blooming roses of life
you grow, delicately before me
and i try to pause this fast paced world
this world that comes with its wireless connections of reality
for you i try to frame this moment
when you have mucus running down your nose
and carefreeness chasing after you like a butterfly
but i know when the sun comes up
you will bloom and become a garden of many experiences
one by one some petals will fall,
ground into powder by the shoes of men
and i wonder if you will remain strong by your roots
i pray for this box of innocence to shield you a little longer
dear one
i pray that life’s hand does not choke you as it did me
2 – two cities on my mind
in this dull gwagwalada evening
where the sun nods its round head
in fitful slumber, after a heavy day of drinking
off the cognac soil
i stroll the streets of my mind, like a bored shadow
lounging by a vendor’s broken kiosk
visiting neighborhood haunts of thoughts
idle silence is the seat
of my wild travel through places
the painting of thoughts
the sketches of make belief;
i dream of what i am, what my life is
what it was and what it would be
the fire in my heart holds the eye of the sun
and the yearning for that strange familiar land grows warmer
the nzu you talk about, father
the goddess and the kolanut bowl
will i see them all?
the fronds, all virgin like my heart
the landscape and the endless memories
building a bridge between two unrelated cities
will i have them all?
they are quartered in a corner of my mind
orphans from different parents
my body lounges here, father
the vendor haggles for my smile
of recognition
but my spirit has long departed
searching the hills you speak of
grappling with the wind for understanding
with your interpretation, with your leading,
i search the bleached soil for your footprints
with my uncapped curiosity
and myraid questions
boredom is a silent teleprompter
you scroll down its lit face, amusing yourself
with mad frolics between two cities
and here i lie, in this prickly heat
feeling the air of a strange land
and dreaming about its calmer wind
and i know i am but a virgin visitor
caught between this boring place and my dreams
Shade Mary-Ann Olaoye, is a young Nigerian writer who believes in the power of writing. It is a voice on its own and that voice, has its place. She enjoys reading and stage drama.