Blood Ties
By Abu Ibrahim
I grew up in a hazy house
There was always something foggy smoking between my father’s burnt fingers
For years, I watched a dimmed light light up another dimmed light
There are things I wish I didn’t know:
The average lifespan of a cigarette is three hundred and sixty seconds
I know how the future crumbles into ash—every lit stick on my father’s lips was the
cremation of our dreams
I know addiction is puffing death into your body and daring it to invoke its worse
I have tinged doubts about science. Years ago, I checked the lifespan of a chronic smoker—
and against the odds, he is still here—still here but shockingly leaving soon
Nothing prepares you for death, not even when you see it coming
At the hospital, the doctor says he should put his house in order, and for the first time, I saw
the vapour that evaporated rain down my father’s eyes
Halfway home, I asked to use the restroom at the mall and returned smelling like my dad
We locked eyes and said nothing because death leaves us all speechless.
Writer’s Biography
Abu Ibrahim, popularly known as IB, is a Nigerian poet whose work has had tremendous influence and change. In 2021, he was part of a group of poets who advocated that the Recording Academy make spoken word poetry a standalone category at the Grammys, which led to the birth of the “Best Spoken Word Poetry Album” category in 2022.
His debut poetry album “Music Has Failed Us” got a Grammy acceptance. This body of work is available on all major streaming platforms. Some of his works have also been published in literary outfits in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and more. He has performed at the Pa Gya Literary Festival in Ghana, the Lagos International Poetry Festival, Say It Out, Lagos Talks Town Hall Meetings, the Nigeria National Chess Championship, the Quramo Festival of Words, the Global Poetry Meet organized by Poets of Bangalore, India, and more.
He is the recipient of the LASU Debate Society Impact Maker Award for Storytelling and Outstanding Impact and the 2023 recipient of the Port Harcourt Poetry Festival Poetry/Spoken Word Poetry Album of the Year.
