Won’t leave…tough African marriages. Tough love.

Never thought he’d grow up to be a drunkard. That he’d dedicate such a poem to his dear wife. That such perseverance still exists. Vicissitudes of marriage stitched into this African-based poem leaves me with a thorny question: ”Can such tough love exist? “

BEYOND THE SMILE

Home-

Where rivers dried

And savannah grasslands had their stay,

In warm air,

Churning winds upon our visages

From dawn to dusk,

We’d run across the fields

Holding hands,

Sealing fate,

Making stories that we’d tell our offspring

Down the line.

Home-

Where I resided,

Where I sighted only one blossoming flower

In the den of shrub,

Cacti common to land

Grasslands vast…

Home brought me you

Home made us.

Home-

The sour taste of wedlock;

When after a few shots of tequila,

Drowning in liqour

Brooding with anger,

I would change from the infinite-running

Peaceful, blue sky

Into that raging hurricane –

You’d see the storm come in,

Tear the roof off your head for the night

Scathe your skin like lightning hitting tree trunks,

Flash death upon your tear-streaked eyes.

Home-

Upon the doorstep you slept on,

No doormat, no wooden floor,

Just rough stones as a bed

You’d still move in,

Smiling-

Believing it’s the omega

Yet you know it’s just the alpha….

You fear going back, maybe

You heavy with child and see it futile

-Let me just stay, storms don’t last forever;

You’d say so.

Home-

Broken windows

Shattered glass

Taste of steel upon thy mouth

You only see a dim light

You only have a dwindling hope

Look out into the night

For days,

Wondering where I’d run off to

Whether  I’d found other wells I’d drink from,

Other flowers that finally sprouted

Bringing with them a blend of scents that snared me,

Home-

I’d still return

Having blows on my face

No strength to walk

Where on the doorstep I’d generate a thud

And you’d come out,

Smiling amidst sobs –

Happy I’ve returned,

Tirelessly, you drag me in

Then nurse me back to life.

Home-

Home is you

Home is us

Home is where I learnt

Beyond that smile

Lies love

Lies suffering

Lies tears

Lies all.

#poetry