Everything Here
I would tear pages from my books and write what I felt. Unfortunately, my mum found the papers. I was beaten black and blue. I stopped talking and writing. I now write like my life depends on it, because it does.
...meaning, a peaceful day in June is a cold day in July; bullets are like raindrops on the mother of green...
I confess that I too would die to reach for the clouds. half abstraction. clouds which exist in half abstraction. you my dear, exist in half abstraction as
Babale was a columnist for Konya Shams Rumi and a lover of arts. She co-curated the maiden edition of Kano International Poetry Festival. She is the author of the chapbook The Rain is Like You (Konya Shams Rumi, 2023) and the poetry collection Pickled Moments (Konya Shams rumi, 2024). She hails from Kano State, Nigeria.
A big shoutout to all the scheduled poets: Word Abba, Pristine, Muna, JAYPEE, Michael Imossan, Loveth Liberty, Diligent Artist, MJAAY, Mayim M13, Baaji Akura, and Bella Ogwuche.
I cannot write a poem that does not originate from some deep part of me, and usually, these poems feature people, things, or situations I feel connected to. My mother’s poem being my first significant poem just reminds me that I have not lost that part of me even as I get older. I am grateful for that.
However, I write every day when I can, so that I can genuinely rest on the days when I am experiencing a creative block. This means I do a lot of scheduling and pre-writing, because how else will we be able to stay consistent in a world where you are not always 100%?
