mum’s left breath by odu ode (day 3 of ksr 31 days of poetry)

a poem on grief, belief and renewal of sadness that explores the concept of the mind's elasticity plus reality.

a poem on grief, belief and renewal of sadness that explores the concept of the mind's elasticity plus reality.

in this poem mum isn’t dead:
she is drowning in earth  – quietly,

but faster than my mind can harbor.
in grieving, i’d come to remember her voice

calling me out to fetch a calabash of fermented roots.
my heart digs for her voice whenever i hear my siblings

speak to me over the phone. 
mourning – if you want to give my countenance a name.

mum’s face is always in–between sand and my pupils;
she comes every 36 hours to fetch the last breath she left.

 

 

odu ode is a poet from nasarawa State, north-central Nigeria. his poetry have featured in anthologies, journals, online platforms, literary fora and elsewhere. some were under the name ahmadu usman. he writes from abuja.

Su'eddie V. Agema
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