THE POEM IN WHICH I GAVE MY BODY TO THE MOSQUITO

1/7/2023

By Adamu Yahuza Abdullahi

For Adamu Mubaraq

Tonight, the alarm clock would ring
& I'll mistake it for your voice waking
me up for fajr prayers.

the day you died, I knew I was older my
age. everyone criticized God; I rolled
my tears into my back pocket & smiled.

Because, sometimes, even tears lose
their innocence.

so, today when the mosquito came,
I handed myself in—I fear it might be
you in one of your forms.

you, whose name is Mubaraq, the
Arabic term for blessing. but the night
wears you into her back, ripping you off

of everything you own, including your name
& made you a peace, a piece
of longing for us.

Ma still counts your burnt incense as
a mantra in her sujud, searching for your
silhouette, for your body, for something to

remind her of you again. but your
silhouette is what hangs in between
Kursiyyu and Aamana.

before this poem, I had decided to
die with you every day. But in this poem,
we are both alive, borrowing existence
from our faded skins.

Writer's Biography

Adamu Yahuza Abdullahi, TPC V, THE PLOB, is an alumnus of SprinNG Writing Fellowship, a budding poet, and an aspiring researcher. He is a Best of The Net Nominee, a first runner-up for the Hassan Suleiman Gimba Enq poetry prize, a winner of the National Association of Kwara State Students (NAKSS), UDUS chapter harmony essay contest, 2023, a shortlistee of Gamji Press Board Prime Writing Contest, News digest essay contest, UDUS, Splendors of dawn poetry foundation's poetry and short story contest and an entrant of the Nigerian Students Poetry Prize (NSPP) top 50 poems of the year 2022.

His works are published or forthcoming in—THE TEMZ REVIEW, Eunoia Review, Brittle Paper, Arts Lounge, SprinNg alum anthology, Teenlit journal, Rogue agents, Ninshar Arts, Last Leaves, ONEBLACKBOYLIKETHAT REVIEW, SprinNG alum anthology, and many others. Of all things in the world, he values peace of mind.

13 Comments

Liberty

3/7/2023 10:17:37 am

I love the line "in this Poem we're both alive".

Mirabel

8/7/2023 01:12:38 pm

Me too

Ogundeko Toluwanimi Alexis

3/7/2023 11:00:28 am

A very emotional yet, beautiful piece that captivates the reader, as the writer bares his feelings of grief from the loss of a loved one. The writer battles with heartache and pain, but eventually comes to terms with their loss and discovers a means of dealing with it - through the medium of his heartfelt poem. I would highly suggest this piece to anyone who has experienced or is presently experiencing the sorrow of losing a loved one, as it deeply captures the emotions and sensations of this difficult experience

Samuel Ortese

3/7/2023 11:39:14 am

The poet with his mastery of metaphors, likens the poet persona, mosquito to an alarm of clock that awakens him tonight to observe one of the Muslim prayers. In as much as the poet has distinctively talked about mosquitos, he underscores the routinely prayers by Muslim faithfuls and how dedicated they are just like mosquitoes that set out to soak blood from its prey.

Abdulrasheed Diana link

5/7/2023 02:21:35 am

This poem seamlessly gave a voice to the pain and grief that the poet feels for losing the deceased. Using various figures of speech. The poets words captures his emotions as he pours his heart to (mubaraq). He reinforces the all too familiar feeling of smiling away our hurt and holding unto someone when we feel them slipping away from us.
Without a choice, the poet surrenders to acceptance, accepting the things he has no control over and the things that he can't change. He stated a very familiar truth, we can never get used to death, we just learn to live with our predicaments. Captivating piece.

Alobu Emmanuel

5/7/2023 03:44:52 pm

I paused for a long time after reading through this poem.

The pang of losing a loved one can be excruciating. It could make one despair, become desolate, or think of ‘ending it all’ too.

The poet himself experienced these, as it is glaring in his lines.. But one thing about poetry is that it can be therapeutic.

This is evident in how the poem ended, and I love it:

“before this poem, I had decided to
die with you every day. But in this poem,
we are both alive, borrowing existence
from our faded skins”

Also, I'm Christian. But I utterly fall in love with the names of the Muslim prayers/occasions of prayers the poem reveals. Overall, this piece is medicine for anyone suffering from the loss of a loved one and needs healing.

Abubakar Aisha sewa link

7/7/2023 06:00:51 pm

Death itself is a living thing

I thought I would leave a full page of my comment

I became speechless
Rest on Adamu mubarq

8/7/2023 01:16:57 pm

This is a truly emotional and very realistic piece. I love how the poet captures both emotions of grief and acceptance.

Lawal Zuleihat

14/7/2023 08:30:04 pm

I was intrigued in reading this piece when I read the first stanza "Tonight, the alarm clock would ring
& I'll mistake it for your voice waking
me up for fajr prayers."

This poem is a really good one. Explaining emotions of hurt and balancing it up with hope. A big thumbs up for you dear brother. With this, you've got many more awards awaiting you to achieve in Sha Allah.

Akinlotan Seun Deborah

15/7/2023 12:30:30 pm

Every word, every line, called a metaphor springing to life every written word you give, it does something to the soul, something we're yet to let go.

And yeah, you did give your body to the mosquito if that could make you feel your brother's presence again and your mom also longed for those days when he was still there.

Whoever finds this piece, I can assure you that this is one of the best piece that speaks and it's just so beautiful.

I'm just gonna say, keep writing and keep winning. Don't stop and don't let anything stop you. God bless you

Aisha B

16/7/2023 11:48:03 pm

This poem reads like a movie.

Right from the start, the author paints a clear picture and the emotion comes off right away, the grief at the loss he experienced and how he succumbed to it, understanding and making his peace with it.

But still the grief lives on in the ways his mother experiences it, searching for him however she can. Which was beautiful because it portrays how we all have different reactions to it.

Then in this last paragraph, perfectly concludes it,
“before this poem, I had decided to
die with you every day. But in this poem,
we are both alive, borrowing existence
from our faded skins.”

It makes it come full circle, tying together both pain of the loss, grief and hope.

In addition, there was a typo I noticed in the second paragraph, “the day you died, I knew I was older my
age” I knew I was older than* my age.

Solomon T. Hamza link

21/7/2023 07:30:27 pm

The poems begins with the writer's heartfelt elegy where the he recounts the death of a loved one (a brother) and the aftermath of the grief which has tucked it's heart into his heart, retelling through this poem of the pain he is passing through. The first stanza introduces us into the searing pain.
The second stanza tackles how he tried to man up, wear the clothes of responsibility but ended up breaking apart.
The 6th stanza recounts the lingering of memories of his elder brother, whom his mother and him have tried to relive through memories of his brother's habits and even the scent of him.
The tone/mood of the poem is moody. And figures of speech used in the poem include personification (tears lose their innocence) and imageries (rolled my tears into my back pocket).
Writing they say is therapeutic and I believe the writer has found peace after writing this piece as evident in his eight stanza, " we are both alive, borrowing existence from our faded skins."
Lovely poem with powerful lines. I rate this poem 4.5/5.

Ayomide Deborah

30/7/2023 04:23:03 pm

Losing someone you love is painful, and still feeling their presence is worse. The use of imagery in the poem is amazing, especially in the sentence - Ma still counts your burnt incenses. It gives a clear picture of the situation and the things they yearn for.

The poems begin with a sense of remembrance and longing. The writer recalls the death of his loved one (Mubaraq). His intense pain and grief are expressed in the first and second stanzas. The second stanza shows his attempts to move on and continue with his life. He "rolls his tears into his back pockets" and tries to smile through the pain, but fails due to the weight of the pain he is carrying. He tries to recall and regain the one he lost through memories of the times they shared and his (Mubaraq's) scent.

This poem is emotional and beautiful. The poet describes his pain and sorrow. He also finds solace in letting out his grief and pain through his writing eventually accepting his loss.

The tone and mood of the poem are gloomy, depressed, and mournful. The use of personification (tears lose their innocence), metaphors ( Alarm clock will ring and I'll mistaken it for your voice waking me up) , alliteration (Made you a peace, a piece) and imagery contributes to the beauty of the poem.

This poem is enchanting, and the Islamic themes and features ( e.g. Fajr prayers, burning of incense etc.) make it even more aesthetic. His keen observance of the routine prayers shows his dedication to his faith. Similar to a mosquito sucking blood from its prey, his belief nourishes him even during his grief.

It is impactful. I could actually feel the pain of the poet and the yearning for the one you lost. Overall, this poem is relatable and comforting for those who have lost someone at any point in their lives. Thank you to the writer for creating such an amazing piece.

THE POEM IN WHICH I GAVE MY BODY TO THE MOSQUITO

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Copyright @SprinNG

THE POEM IN WHICH I GAVE MY BODY TO THE MOSQUITO

Leave a Reply.

Copyright @SprinNG​

Copyright @SprinNG