Samuel A. Adeyemi
Spectacle
Perhaps grace is a tangible thing / only to the one
who watches another bleed. —Pamilerin Jacob
I watch her weep regret on the kitchen tile, her
tears dropping like a sequence of loose beads.
She ricochets between two tongues, cursing &
supplicating—she rebukes the devil in English,
begs the Lord in Yoruba; a kind of balance, I'd
presume. On days like this, I swear hope is just
torture euphemised, softened to keep the body
from crumbling. But what really do I know?
Stupid boy. Stupid, passive boy. I cannot trim
off the sadness threading my mother's eyes.
who watches another bleed. —Pamilerin Jacob
I watch her weep regret on the kitchen tile, her
tears dropping like a sequence of loose beads.
She ricochets between two tongues, cursing &
supplicating—she rebukes the devil in English,
begs the Lord in Yoruba; a kind of balance, I'd
presume. On days like this, I swear hope is just
torture euphemised, softened to keep the body
from crumbling. But what really do I know?
Stupid boy. Stupid, passive boy. I cannot trim
off the sadness threading my mother's eyes.
Biography
Samuel A. Adeyemi (he/him) is a young writer from Nigeria. His poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Palette Poetry, Frontier Poetry, 580 Split, Leavings Lit Mag, The Shore, The Rising Phoenix Review, African Writer, The African Writers Review, Jalada, and elsewhere. When he is not writing, he enjoys watching anime and listening to a variety of music. You may reach him on Twitter and Instagram @samuelpoetry
Twitter: twitter.com/samuelpoetry Instagram: instagram.com/samuelpoetry |