in the milky light of a foggy morning
                         i stand naked at your threshold/

a miniature boat clutched to my chest
yèyé/    there are white pigeons in our backyard again

this time they arrive in floating calabashes
                          clad in indigo/ white corns & kola

nuts hanging on their beaks          behind a silver
trapezoid/ an odídẹrẹ́ chirps the language of water

the fog clears slowly as you appear in your grace
             skin of coral/ your turquoise eyes sparkling

with love                          yèyé/ everything waters
into beauty at the mention of your name

because your smile blues into a mosaic of sapphire

because in your presence we are never parched

because the wave of your skirt morphs our fears
                                                             into sea-shells

because you adorn me with water-like necklaces

call me a god/ call me Àlàbí—a rare gem

dear mother/ dear Yemọja/ i bow down at your feet
            there is no religion here/ just a crystal love

the texture of God’s skin/
here i sit at your feet watching our world in techni–

colour/   your moon-white hand caressing
                                               my sea-green hair

© 2023 Sodïq Oyèkànmí