OLAJUWON ALHAYTHAM ADEDOKUN
If you have ever watched your city burn,
Your dreams will learn to count victims.
one, you, two, home, three is
your love for home.
There are graveyards here,
wide enough for people
who do not know
the smell of burning.
Many people jump into
water before they
learn how to swim.
They say the pain
of water tearing their
throats apart and
drowning their voices
makes them
forget the fear of
fire.
I wait to hear
how true it is before
I jump into water
Born in 2004, Olajuwon-Alhaytham Abdullah Adedokun lives in Lagos, Nigeria and tells his story in little pieces. From breaking stereotypes as a home-schooled Muslim kid, to finding home in ink filled pads. Olajuwon is a two-time runner-up for Splendors of Dawn poetry contest, second runner-up for Pen Publishers short-story contest. His works has appeared in various magazines, Praxis magazine included.
