The Meeting

The Meeting

by Seun Lari-Williams 

A pandemic meets an old man on the road. 

Who is this who is not afraid of me? 

You must be religious, I believe. 

Which of the gods do you worship? 

I am not religious, the old man replies, 

I must go about my business. 

You must be immune, then, the pandemic says,

or perhaps you have found a cure? 

I really don't care, the old man groans, 

my business is urgent, I must go. 

Then surely, you are foolish, the pandemic retorts. 

Have you not heard the reports? 

I am hunger, the old man began, 

I've been here since the world began. 

Wars and diseases, they come and they go. 

None has lived as long as I have. 

You burn at both ends; your end is near. 

I burn slow like fine firewood. 

Keep them indoors and fill them with fright, 

but when l knock, they come right out. 

Your reputation precedes you, the pandemic responds 

and bows before the old man. 

They kiss and hug and shake hands like old friends and 

smile knowingly at each other. 

The old man takes his leave and continues his routine-

knocking on doors and turning knobs.

Seun Lari-Williams was born in 1987. He attended Badagry Grammar School and studied law at the University of Lagos where he served as President of the Law Society. His first anthology Garri for Breakfast was longlisted for the 2017 NLNG Prize for Literature.