Obianuju

Who art thou oh goddess of the earth
Making me drool and quiver like the mucus of ten thousand years.
Are you the maiden of the ancient water in Idúmòtá
whose skin is a passage to the meadows that lie in the corners of the city in Jerusalem
Or an angel whose voice resonates with that of the gods?

OBIANUJU,
Your outlook differs from the wallpaper on the street of Twitter.
Even Instagram’s skin is a polished adumbration of the real you.
See, my heart kicked the bucket and rose up again at the sight of the beautiful you. Yes, my resolution not to love again died ASAP
for your eyes welcomed me into the pool of endless desire of love!

OBIANUJU
Let’s take a trip to Èpé, I hope you know Oyin Olùdipè?
There, I will treat you to a local delicacy of Ofada and the garnished dessert called Ibépé.
We’d together consult the village Karaoke where the best Singer
is the beautiful cricket at moonlight.
I’d dance, you’d dance and step it down with the palm wine
made close to the house of the Farmer’s daughter.

Since your sonorous voice is like that of my choir master,
maybe if I take you to the studio, you’d go farther than Daddy yo. I don’t know.

Listen Obianuju,
Your name in my dialect translates “kola nut will wipe its face”
and I know your presence halts heartbreak and flow of water in men’s eyes.

But Obianuju,
I’d like to send you on an errand.
Even though it’s crazy, I hope you’d not be cloudy.
Can you help tell Ayòbámi the daughter of Atàndá –
That beautiful diva whose soul music like Àsá tore me into pieces like Éjà Sáwá.
Can you remember her dangling fingers?
Oh, my pores opened its mouth wanting a soft touch.
Come, could you just tell her of how I wanna take her to my father and mother
so she could be mine forever, even the mother of my 3 children?

Note:

Idúmòtá: A big city in Lagos, Nigeria

Èpé: A city in Lagos

Oyin Olùdipè: A Poet, writer, and copywriter

Ofada: The locally made Yoruba rice

Ibépé: Pawpaw

Àsá: A Nigerian Female Soul Musician

Éjà Sáwá: Fish

Adekunle Adewunmi

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