ADEYEYE JAMES OLUWATOBI
the sea looked back at me
As if it knows the reason I visit every night
ii
It has studied the map of the world
So it has an affinity for beautiful things, especially bodies
iii
The earth, too, is an envelope
of stars
It’s a fire & men are dry woods
It sure knows how to deliver us as ashes
iv
The wind reminds me of stories
Littered on streets
As bones,
v
the stars are reminders
of people that left silently
Somewhere this night
A star is falling freely
From the sky
With nothing to hold her back
& another sky is weeping
Because it thinks it’ll be a big loss
few days ago,
I gave myself up
to grief
& a part of me whispered…
Lord,
If tomorrow I fall from the sky
Do not give me to the earth to mock
Give me to her to be cherished
Because when the earth mocks a star it dies
& history sings it.
ADEYEYE JAMES OLUWATOBI
is an Electrical/Electronics Engineer and a poet. He explores the intersection between human conditions and faith in his works. He’s a Best of the Net nominee 2020. His work, Death is Beautiful, was listed among the top 100 poems for the 2019 Nigerian Students Poetry Prize. His works have featured or are forthcoming in many anthologies and journals including African Writer, Praxis Online magazine, Libretto magazine, Rising Phoenix, Parousia magazine, Odd magazine, and Aceworld. He is a contributor to the Best of Africa magazine.
