Three Poems – Agboola Tariq A.

Reaching God

In the silence of dawn, the adhan calls this body.
I feel God’s lips kissing my heart to renew my faith, so I
sit in a corner beside my shadow where my hands receive dua
from the edges of my mouth. I urge to pluck the moon for God to see
where this body lies, where the devil hides under the cloak of
my dark skin. I pick a rosary and repeat God’s name
till my voice breaks, still, the pieces ring in my head telling
me other names of God. The sun breaks through the darkness and
there’s a vale inbetween that separates my ego from myself. Like
a dark boy who just washed away his s(k)in, I could feel His presence
in the veil of my body which has turned a sacrifice for reincarnation.

who needs a man a boy like me?

let me sing sweet songs
to break the sour in your heart.

let your heart listen.

let me chant charms charms to you
and see if it voo doo.

let me tell tales pains of my days
to have your pity.

let me write right my wrongs
& open my flaws.

i'll say
it would be sad nice if
if all my lines be reversed versed.

Night of a thousand tears

the night when the day never comes      the moon is a witness     the sky is black

the cloud is smoke    the earth dampened in lava      in blood   in tears    the earth

wilting    & wilting    with cracks swallowing   the weight of empty bodies    of

mothers    stripped to the womb    of men    ripped of their ribs    of bodies

disfigured    of children    posed with    their kidneys in their mouths    the night

when the moon never leaves    when the earth quakes   mountains drop   rivers stop

and lightning cries    and strikes    the feet[defeat]    of aggressors.    spares pierced

in bloody guts    missed spares pierced    in rotten stems       something dies either

way    the night    when the moon is a witness    of pain    buried    in the wounds of

the earth    the night    when scavengers feast & lick the mud    the night    when it

stays dark    when the day never comes.

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Agboola Tariq A. is a student of law in the University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria where he resides. He is a lover of arts and specializes in poetry. He was a student-member of Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA)Oyo State chapter. Twitter: @Agboola_Tariq_A

Banner Art: “Admittedly, blessing, #5 from a series” a visual poem collage by Robert Frede Kenter (c) 2023. Twitter: @frede_kenter, IG: r.f.k.vispocityshuffle.