The Lore of the House Owner & The Pigeon

By Babatunde Olatunji David

v.  the house owner / cares for / the pigeon
            onílé ntoju ẹyẹlé 
                                     ẹyẹlé nyọ ṣẹ̀ṣẹ̀ 

slurred speeches / from / rustled leaves 
birthed from / an ecstatic bird crunching
& munching/ fresh and viable grains /
to _cure / its _yearning
replace cure / with satiate 
replace yearning / with hunger
say / the bird is a pigeon 
with the / privileges of a king

iv.  forgetfulness / is a ritual / for all men
                 ìgbàgbé lẹbọ 
                                     ènìyàn                                  

time purges love from the hearts / of men
& a pigeon / cannot replace a lass
a cage is home / for replaced pigeons
soon, the bird / becomes a decoration 
for the home / & a plaything for the children 
say / moments shared with a bird dies
when another lover / comes into play

iii. star shopping / by the / house owner
                 onílé gbàgbé 
                                      ẹyẹlé 

roses bear witness / of an untainted love 
in the presence / of a wishing moonlight
certified with locked lips / & tongues 
gallivanting from his mouth / to hers
they make fruits / as sweet as them /
say / little run-arounds / called children
a family sprouts / a perfect portrait

ii.  the house owner / becomes Job
                  ọfọ  ṣe 
                               onílé 

as / blights wilt fresh tomatoes /
the family fumes of decay / & death
weary beds stretch / to hold the children
their body imprints itself / unto the bed
the foamy thing / learns a new language
squeaks with the cadence / of heaven sighs
laced with / ragged breaths
draped with / a tapestry of grief

i.  a dirge / crescendos 
      ọ̀sán já
                 ọrún d’ọ̀pá 

with immeasurable loss, / grief, / sorrow / & death
memories bleed back to / likam-filled rooms
of a family: / mother & children / & an 
estranged member / of the family confined 
to a cage / weaved from forgetfulness 
the house owner / opens the cage
for the pigeon / but the pigeon wears an amnesia
of flight / then the house owner 
drowns in a sea / of eternal regret.

Writer’s Biography
Babatunde Olatunji David is a young Nigerian poet and lover of many genres of literature who writes to stay alive. He writes about life—its complexities, difficulties, and intricacies—while scribbling about the peculiarity of being a boy-child. He is currently studying Materials Science and Engineering at Obafemi Awolowo University. His works have been featured in Arkore Arts and Fiery Scribe Review, and he was recently longlisted for the Unserious Collective Fellowship. He loves listening to emo raps and melodramatic music.