“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