By Sunday T. Saheed old age doesn’t wear us off our beauty, it soaks our tongues instead with acidic rum of an earthenware till taste is a myth we were once told. in every raffia mat we spread, we find cockroaches crawl out of the thin lines between the earth & our soles. This is the third time the hefty man at the door rattles the bell —the next ring, always louder than the previous. Everything herein fleets —black hair, strong gums & straightened bones. we know, that the day gets weary too. & it tucks itself back into a sleeve. the road is muddy & full of potholes, so when we fall, there’s only a thing to be. pick yourself up, dust up till your body is a mirror of your retina’s glistening. the worse is not yet done. we were fed lies strapped in a moimoi leaf. life is not a bed of roses -- your life is but a page in Slyvia’s novel, you get torn —another bourgeons. eureka, plant a bulb in every steps you take. At the twentieth step, the earth waters every trail. A fall is easy, or acacia might blossom with full branches & growling lips. at the fortieth step, the waterdrop becomes flood & your bulbs shall be swept one by one & the glisten shall fade into the sky’s tears of you. Be gentle, be -- the carapace’s weight strapped to your back is crushing you. Nothing holds you again. not your fluffy hair, thinned eyes, bent bones. ![]() Writer's Biography Sunday T. Saheed, Author of Rewrite The Stars, is a 17-year-old Nigerian writer and a Hilltop Creative Arts Foundation member. He was the 1st runner-up for the Nigerian Prize for Teen Authors, Poetry Category, 2021. His works have appeared or are forthcoming on Rough Cut Press, Arts Lounge, Rigorous mag, Kissing Dynamite, Beatnik Cowboy, Trouvaille Review, Augment Review, Spirited Muse Press, Gyroscope, Giallo Lit, Open Skies Quarterly, Kalahari, Cajun Mutt, Open Leaf Press Review, Re Side, de Curated and others. He was a finalist for the Wole Soyinka International Cultural Exchange 2018.
9 Comments
Ayomide Ruth Oluwagbenga
6/11/2022 11:44:11 pm
I smiled while reading this.
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Abubakar Esther
24/11/2022 09:40:08 pm
I agree with you Ruth!
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Njikonye Charles Nnamdi
9/11/2022 01:10:32 pm
The lines of this poem are very lyrical. I enjoy how it talks about old age, using different concepts. I enjoy the way the poet made use of plants and other natural elements to describe the feeling of aging.
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Rahma
19/11/2022 09:22:07 am
This poem is so beautifully written. The composition is amazing and exquisitely structured.
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Ugochukwu Anadị
20/11/2022 09:12:26 am
Saheed's opening line brings to fore, for me, my obsession with the opening lines of literary works. Look at the opening line:
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20/11/2022 08:58:51 pm
For a writer this young, I consider Sunday Saheed's dexterity and craftsmanship appalling and unique. I mean here is a poem filled with metaphors and strong imageries with a more sacrosanct theme.
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20/11/2022 11:28:01 pm
In Biology class in the secondary, we were taught that one of characteristics Of any living thing is growth. The Poet has just reminded us of the final stage of the life ycle of every human beings. People should not see old age has a disease particularly women. He used a lot of picture and imageryfor a quick nderstanding of the topic. The poem is full of imagination and realism. A highly impressive and commendable effort.
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Abubakar Esther
24/11/2022 09:48:00 pm
One of the things I love about visiting here is;
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