Tuesday Poem by Abulatan Wuraola

Iyaniwura

If I hadn’t suckled my mother,
perhaps I will have enough for you
to lay your weary head upon.

Maybe I will hold you tight,
against me,
so that the softness of my chest
can soothe your head
but I can apologize for
only the wrongs I did.

Forgive mother?
She didn’t suckle her mother
And of what use is a daughter
who isn’t mother to her daughter?

Perhaps if I had grown up
between mother’s laps as
she fought my stubborn hair
and turned my head into a gear,
I’d have held your head too
tucked you in between my warmth
& loved you.

Perhaps if my back
hadn’t known the sun
& sweat in my quest to
find figs, twigs & seeds
for daily needs,
if my body, child,
isn’t this sickled thing
I would have picked you up
and soothed you.
Perhaps sing you a lullaby
but sorry about my sore voice
forgive me child,
I slept to worse sounds
of mother’s tears & curses,
father’s heaves and the give
of skin when beat by leather.

I would have loved you
I swear, I would have
perhaps if there was a heart
beating in this chest.

________

Abulatan Wuraola tweets at @goldenwura