Two Poems | Jide Badmus

Why Butterflies don’t make Honey

equity is not a language of nature,
it’s a beam on a pivot, a seesaw…

the swinging needle of a scale sings
of imperfections. inconsistencies.

identities are little boxes.
straits. sentiments. stereotypes.

appearances are just impressions.
aliases. masks. façades. guises.

i mean, if birds are the kings of air,
shouldn’t peacocks be down to earth?

Moribund Names

Olaitan¹ is on the run
from loan sharks!

Kolawole² shares a room
with two childhood friends
& pays his portion of the bills
with wads of excuses
& a string of bad debts.

Aderibigbe³ is a wanderer—
doesn’t even own a hat to
hide his head
from the hot sun.

Funmilayo⁴ has become
a sour song in the mouth.
A poisoned petal, she kills
every hand that tends to her.

Imole⁵ has never seen the sun rays
& Okiki⁶ her younger brother became
breaking news after he took his own life

***

¹Yoruba, Wealth cannot be exhausted
²Yoruba, Brings wealth home
³Yoruba, Home to the crown
⁴Yoruba, Joy giver
⁵Yoruba, Light
⁶Yoruba, Fame

Jide Badmus is inspired by beauty and destruction; he believes things in ruins were once beautiful.

SAI Sabouke
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Sai Sabouke is a writer living in New Bussa, Nigeria. He’s a dervish who sees Sufism, history and language as formidable tools for society regeneration. His writing has appeared in Praxis Magazine Online and Agbowo. Sabouke loves beans, coffee and dreams of roasting the entrails of vultures.