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The countdown begins
The countdown begins
as moments tick down
A stream of joy
when the sun
is not enough.
and when the sun
is febrile, she
offers needed shade.
The Butterfly Thinks Himself A Bird
Moyo Okediji
Title: The Butterfly Thinks Himself A Bird
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Date 2021
Size: 24″ x 30″
The title is an important line in playwright Ola Rotimi’s masterpiece, THE GODS ARE NOT TO BLAME.
Rotimi took the line from a Yoruba proverb, “Labalábá fira rẹ̀ wẹ́ye, kò le ṣìṣe ẹyẹ.” ̛It means, “The butterfly compares itself to the bird, but is unable to perform like a bird.”
Sabbatical leave
I’m on sabbatical leave this spring semester.
Forward to my origin
I will go for the next year
to learn Ifa computation,
in which my ancestors
have hidden the secrets of life
knowing that one day my eyes would open
and see the truth hidden in plain sight.
GOOD FAKE NEWS
Photo: still in solitary confinement at home.
I’m not taking the vaccine.
Not yet.
Waiting to see what happens.
The lack of sunlight is depleting the melanin shield of my skin.
But I take Vitamin D supplements to compensate for a lack of access to sunlight.
Last night I was looking for my pet elephant and discovered it was hiding inside my beard.
That’s fake news.
Good fake news.
Wèrèpè
Wèrèpè má so mọ́.
Devil bean weed, stop producing seeds,
Èyí tó o so lésǐn,
The seeds you produced last season
Baba ẹnìkan ò ka.
HOW TO LOOK IN A MIRROR
HOW TO LOOK IN A MIRROR When you find a mirror you must first turn on the lightNot the light in the room But the light in your heart. Never look in the mirror With your eyes: