Tuesday, 8 September 2015

The Refuge of the Refugee by Jumoke Verissimo

The Refuge of the Refugee

In the trial of your cauldron heart
you may boil the stone
that burdens Africa into alcohol,
If I were to dream of meeting you on the waters,
I’ll turn you away from an ocean of trafficked debates
so even if ships are left without captains or you,
there would still be a future sailing into place
And as you stay at home like shells on a beach
couched in that language that’s spread on sands?
I’m inside your dream where you are awake,
though you’re eating the sounds of a lover’s snore
and retiring your ears from honks and street rustles
You can dream in your dream if you want to
the bed this night is not a place for sleep,
I will tell the world your tale.
I’ve entered your dream to meet solitude;
roll up your blanket and embrace some angst.

Jumoke Verissimo

Jumoke Verissimo is a Nigerian poet and writer. Her first book, I Am Memory, has won some literary awards in Nigeria. Some of her poems are in translation in Italian, Norwegian , French, Japanese, Chinese, and Macedonian. She was born on 26 December, 1979

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