“Mourning Lover” by Dele Meiji
for M.
Night time is when the shit gets heavy,
You feel alone and you want somebody,
Loneliness whispers desperate measures,
And you’re frantic all by yourself.
(Yasiin Bey, “Climb”)
Morning lover,
You’ve changed
Dressed in mourning black
You don’t have legs
Or cheeks to kiss
But you do the trick
Yet even with you, I worry
You’ll get lost in me
That
I’ll swallow you
Exhaust the possibilities
I moan and say/tell me…
But you do not speak — have no words to say to me
If only the others/were like you
Legless, mindless, speechless—
A single branch
Reaching out to touch me in practiced solidarity
Last night
My familiarity with you
Made my body
Speak
But now, in the morning
You’re just a fantasy
Made in plastic
And damn, I’ve exhausted your batteries.
DELE MEIJI is a British-Nigerian writer based in London. He holds degrees in African Studies & Politics and Sociology, from the School of Oriental and African Studies, and City University, London, respectively. His writing has appeared in publications including Open Road, and Saraba Magazine. He blogs at http://www.delemeiji.com. Follow him on twitter: @delemeiji
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