AJIJOLA HABEEB WINNER WORTHY OF MENTION POET OF THE MONTH AT LOUDTHOTZ POETRY OPEN READING SEASON 10 EPISODE 4 THEN

AJIJOLA HABEEB - WINNER WORTHY OF MENTION POEM OF THE MONTH

THEN – (worthy of mention)

Once,
We were notes from exotic instruments
Inks that flowed in place of blood
We were wisdom muddled in the breathes of sages
We were words rhyming with the brightness of the day


Once,
We held our hearts in our hands
Our soul on our lips
We were soldiers who fought against wars


Then,
The liquid our eyes birthed was the only solid thing we own
We were brethren of the wind
Sons of nothing
Bagatelles of whom no one would tell


Then,
Our sights had eyes
And our voices had mouths
Even though we had no mouth to voice them
We were whales living inside of tadpoles


Then,
We had lives we exchanged for living
Days we exchanged for death
Lungs we traded for breath
We hung our days at the doorstep of the grim reaper
To await nights that never wakes up
Daily we pay the price to die
Yet, the angel of death, it seems is out of stock



Now,
What better way to explain the taste of night
Other than silence

Ajijola Habeeb