Alone | Alobu Emmanuel

(cover photograph direction: Ene Ochayi)

 — for the waif child.

I see you     poor puppy     the way you sniff the dump

     the pile of abandoned     used-to-be treasures

seeking for something beautiful enough     to call food

you stumble on a three-week-old moi-moi* now

inhabited by fungi     & your canines get to work

Your ribs     parting     like scratches     made by the

mother hen     poor creature of God’s own hands

poor me     your search for survival has stolen your

glee     & all I can wrap for you     is nothing     nothing

but    a broken poem

*moi-moi: a kind of staple food in Nigeria made from beans.

Alobu Emmanuel

(alias Noble Alobu) is an eco-poet and writer whose works often feel like a warm hug. He is the Chief Editor of Napsite Review (a UNILAG campus journal), the Director of Business/Partnership for SOKOKA Traditional Publishing firm, and a creative website developer/designer (powered by weebly). He was a fellow of the 2023 SprinNg Writing Fellowship. Some of his works are featured in Poetry Sango-ota, Blue Marble Review, Brittle Paper, Poetry Column NND, and HotPot Magazine. “Do the hard things” is one of his philosophies of life. He tweets: @noble_alobu_ email: noblealobu@gmail.com.